Falling in love with The History of it

Deeply in love.

My love for The History of Love by Nicole Krauss sprouted from hoping I'd like it to loving it more than I ever imagined I would. As you might have been able to tell from my last entry, for whatever reason the book was not doing for me. For most parts of the beginning, I think I was bored. I think it's the kind of book where you have to pay attention and be patient. Then you're rewarded with more than you deserve by the end.

Maybe this is one of the best things that's ever happened to me. A challenge.

Anyway, for the second out of (hopefully) many blog entries about the book, I chose to focus on an un-noted characteristic of Alma, and her relationships with her family members. In the book, Alma is searching for the woman she's named after. A book character from a book called The History of Love, which her mother is translating for an author. Fourteen (and growing up fast throughout the book) Alma believes the character Alma Mereminski to be real.

This search not only shows her persistence and determination, but also her desparate sides and weaknesses. One of these weaknesses seemed to lay within Alma's mother. The main thing I noticed was that rather than spend time with her mother, Alma prefers to search for a possibly fictional woman. Though her search is portrayed as important and key to the plot, I think it also might be that Alma uses this as something to keep her occupied when need be.

I think this says something about both Alma and her mother as characters, and as people with emotions. Alma was always more loving and involved with her father, until he died when she was seven. I think Alma is afraid that by turning to her mother for comfort and parental guidance, she would be letting go of her father. She's afraid of losing him- but what she doesn't understand is that she already has. Meaning she has nothing to lose by going to her mother.

Thouhgh Alma never comes to terms with her fear or the truth at any point in the book, I'm pretty sure she will eventually. In her case, on thing that comes from growing up will be letting go.