Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
The book has some serious frequent flier mileage under its belt (note: this also includes time-machine frequent flier mileage). Most of the action, though, takes place in Brooklyn and lower Manhatt...
Narrator Point of View
Let's begin with first person, shall we? There are two different first-person narrators in The History of Love: Leo Gursky and Alma Singer.Leo's narration—open, honest, laid bare—beautifully em...
Genre
Upon its publication, The History of Love was called "Jewish Magic Realism" by The New York Times. While the book might not feature such clearly magical things as a basket of invisibility (à la co...
Tone
By "reverent," we mean trying to honor someone's memory by doing something awesome yourself. This note is struck right from the book's dedication: "For My Grandparents, who taught me the opposite o...
Writing Style
It shouldn't surprise you to know that, in a book like this—with such a complex, intertwining plot—the writing style is also varied and complex. Throughout this twisted History, Krauss likes to...
What's Up With the Title?
Fasten your seatbelts, Shmoopers. This about to get complicated. The book The History of Love is about a book called… The History of Love. Or how about this: the book The History of Love by Nicol...
What's Up With the Ending?
The ending delivers that satisfying resolution the reader has been waiting for. Our two main characters finally meet, and all the big mysteries are solved. It sounds almost too neat and tidy to be...
Tough-o-Meter
The language in this book is accessible, expressive, contemporary English. You'll have no trouble knowing what's going on. However, the assorted Yiddish phrases may have you scrambling for your Yid...