The Geometry of Love: A Novel

(Paperback)

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Why is it easier for a woman to be a muse than to have one Can one be fully creativein art or lifewithout the inspiration of erotic love These are the questions asked in The Geometry of Love, a novel set in New York in the 1980s, then fast-forwarding to Northern California 20 years later. Julia, an aspiring poet, is living with her British boyfriend Ben, a restrained professor at Princeton, when she has a chance meeting with Michael, a long-ago friend. A charismatic composer, Michael was once a catalyzing muse for her, but now returns as a destabilizing influence. Julia longs to become involved with Michael, but hesitates to give up the security of her relationship with Ben. When Michael signals he is too wounded to make a commitment, Julia turns her triangular situation into a square by setting him up with a cousin. In the process she discovers, as Pascal once said, that ""the heart has its reasons which reason does not know."" This deeply psychological tale explores the surprising ways we make romantic choices.

Reviews

Jessica Levine knows relationships. In The Geometry of Love, Levine artfully weaves the story of one woman's desire for passion, art and love and her conflicting needs of comfort, security and stability. A universal tale written by a compassionate writer whose gentle love of her characters shines throughout this book.
Ann Garvin, author of On Maggie's Watch

Unfulfilled love and attraction can resonate over decades, affecting our choices of who we love, what we create, and ultimately who we are. In this novel of relationships, Jessica Levine offers a strong heroine in Julia, a woman who wants to be honorable even as she wrestles with her wilder side and the undertow of longing. We root for her as she tries to do the right thing, which in the end is best chosen by the heart. The Geometry of Love is a fine literary debut that weaves psychological wisdom into an entertaining love story.
Virginia Pye, author of River of Dust

[L]yrical and realistic.Julia is a compelling and relatable protagonist . . . .
Foreword Reviews

Feeling restless in her long-term relationship with her boyfriend, Ben, Julia Field decides to take over her fathers accounting business and move to New York. Shell still see Ben on the weekends, she rationalizes, and maybe a little distance will inspire him to finally pop the question. She never expected to run into Bens former roommate, Michael, an adorably disheveled yet temperamental composer, who once shared a surprisingly passionate kiss with her on the steps of the New York Public Library during their senior year of college. Though Julia confessed to Ben on the night of the kiss, she never expected to feel the same surge of passion after running into Michael so many years later. Does passion outweigh stability Is pure romance sustainable The Geometry of Love charts the love triangle between Julia, Ben, and Michael as all three search for the answers to lifes most heartfelt questions. Spanning 1987 to 2004, the novels scope and sweeping character arcs will appeal to fans of Meg Wolitzers The Interestings (2013). Julias emotions, insecurities, and pleasures are laid bare and recall Isadora Wing in Erica Jongs Fear of Flying (1973). An outstanding first novel.
Stephanie Turza

Author Bio

Jessica Levine's fiction, essays, poetry, and poetry translations have appeared in Amarillo Bay, California Quarterly, The Cape Rock, ; decomP magazinE, Forge, Green Hills Literary Lantern, Poetry Northwest, North American Review, RiverSedge, The Southern Review, Spoon River Poetry Review, Willow Review, and elsewhere. ; She earned her Ph.D. in English at the University of California, Berkeley. She is the author of Delicate Pursuit: Literary Discretion in Henry James and Edith Wharton (Routledge, 2002) and has translated three books from French and Italian into English. You can visit her at www.jessicalevine.com, where you will find links to some of her shorter works.