The Course Of Love by Alain de Botton

"A gripping, thought-provoking story" (People, Best New Book Collection), this playful, wise, and poignant second novel from the world's best-selling author of How Proust Can Change Your Life, follows the beautifully complex loop of a loving partnership.

Alain de Botton's long-awaited and captivating second novel traces the beautifully complex arc of a romantic partnership, from the world's best-selling author of How Proust Can Change Your Life. De Botton's essay "Why You Marry the Wrong Person" (The New York Times, May 28, 2016), based on The Course of Love, is the most emailed article in days.

We all know the intoxication and excitement of the early days of love. But what happens next? In Edinburgh, a couple, Rabih and Kirsten, fall in love. They get married, they have kids, but no long-term relationship is as simple as "happily ever after". The Course of Love is a novel that explores what happens after love is born, what is needed to sustain love, and what happens to our original ideals under the pressure of normal existence. With Rabih and Kirsten, you experience the first wave of infatuation, falling easily into romantic love, and life after. Interwoven with their history and its challenges is a philosophical overlay - a footnote and guide to what we read.

This is a romance novel in the truest sense of the word, dealing with how love can survive and thrive in the long run. The result is a sensory experience - fictional, philosophical, psychological - that prompts us to identify deeply with these characters and to reflect on our own love experiences. Fresh, visceral, and utterly engaging, The Course of Love is a provocative and inspiring novel for anyone who believes in love.