THE END OF ROMANCE

An anti-romantic finds herself at odds with her own beliefs when she falls in love with not one, but two men.

Meyer’s provocative novel follows Sylvie Broder from her childhood in a New England town where “families agonized aloud about college but never tuition” into adulthood. Growing up at odds with her quiet and rule-obsessed parents, Sylvie was only allowed to be her loud, emotional, and messy self while visiting her joyful grandparents, who were Holocaust survivors. Then, in high school, she falls in love with “famously perfect” Jonah Sabransky. Over the course of an 11-year relationship that includes marriage, Sylvie submits herself to his increasingly cruel wants, needs, and desires—and becomes smaller and meeker with every passing year. When she finally leaves, she does so without a word. As she attempts to rebuild her life, Sylvie starts a philosophy Ph.D. program, seeks out one-night stands, and avoids Jonah’s endless emails. In both her life and her dissertation work, Sylvie dreams “of the world after romance,” because public-facing relationships kept “women from flourishing and corroded true love.” Her marriage not only completely leveled her life and relationships, but her belief in the concept of romance. These rigid beliefs are beautifully challenged when she meets two distinctly different men: sweet and understanding Robbie, who lets Sylvie be exactly who she is, and boisterous and family-centric Abie, who opens Sylvie up in ways she never knew possible. As she falls in love, she lets go of what she knows and begins to understand how she feels. Meyer has rendered Sylvie with such complexity that she’s able to garner empathy from the reader despite her selfishness and shortcomings. Steeped in current events and philosophical theory, the book also deftly explores abuse, monogamy, the #MeToo movement, Judaism, love, and power dynamics in and out of the bedroom. A less capable writer would stumble under the weight of the book’s intricate themes, but Meyer’s prose is both graceful and skillful.

A charming and complex book full of intellect, humor, and—despite its title—romance.