The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. - a review

The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. by Adelle Waldman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There are not many times that I've had an emotional reaction to a book like this one. I kept changing sides on just how I felt about it, one minute getting very upset at what felt like cheap shots at my gender, the next admiring a portrayal of the simple deception of a male mind at work, the next peevishly setting my nook down and muttering "Dammit, that's low. But, true." While there is no way for me to really connect completely with this novel (You'd have to be a writer and/or live in New York for that), I think this is a pretty good look at how (some) modern males go through dating. And the main character, Nate, feels like an a-hole, but not one you would imprint as such right away. He feels like one of those guys who, the first time you meet him (male or female), you thinks he's great, but slowly that high opinion gets eroded as his facade, and interest in what you think, fades away. The only complaint I have with the book is that Hannah, Nate's girlfriend through most of the book, seems like she is a little too innocently presented. That was my biggest struggle with the book, she does nothing to deserve the crap unloaded on her by Nate, and I'm not sure if Waldman does that on purpose to make sure that, at the end, your alliance is on the preferred side. To be fair, Waldman doesn't portray all the females in the book like that. As you learn more about the women in Nate's past, roads get connected, lights turn on, and you start to realize why he is how he is. And when he finally ends up with a much more attractive, and emotionally combative partner, that does seem like where he should have been the whole time. I read this book quickly, and since finishing a couple of days ago, have not stopped pondering why it got under my skin. It may just be an instinctual reaction to an attack on my team. It could be that Waldman is actually being unfair, loading the decks before the game. But I love how much this book made me question every little moment for what it meant. It's not a comforting read, but a worthy one, certainly.


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