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THE GEOMETRY OF LOVE

Why is it easier for a woman to be a muse than to have one? Are security and inspiration mutually exclusive? Can one be fully creative—in art or life—without the inspiration of erotic love? These are the questions asked in The Geometry of Love, a literary novel set in New York in the 1980s and Northern California 20 years later, as Julia, a poet with writer’s block, attempts to choose between Ben, a professor at Princeton whom she sees as good husband material, and Michael, a complex and compelling composer who is a catalyzing muse but also a destabilizing influence. Reasoning that Michael 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 that reason does not know.

This deeply psychological tale explores the assumptions and fantasies that determine romantic choices as the narrative takes us from one decision in the 1980s to an opportunity to reverse it in the twenty-first century.

 ACCOLADES

2015 Top Ten Women's Fiction Title
— American Library Association's Booklist

REVIEWS

"Spanning 1987 to 2004, the novel's scope and sweeping character arcs will appeal to fans of Meg Wolitzer's The Interestings . . . Julia's emotions, insecurities, and pleasures are laid bare and recall Isadora Wing in Erica Jong's Fear of Flying . . . An outstanding first novel."
— Booklist, starred review

"The Geometry of Love is a fine literary debut that weaves psychological wisdom into an entertaining love story."
— Virginia Pye, River of Dust (Unbridled Books)

“The Geometry of Love is an involving read that poses many questions sure to generate lots of discussion; it would make an excellent choice for a book club. Levine deserves particular credit for writing realistic sex scenes between mature, passionate people, and her exploration of female desire is especially impressive."
— Read Her Like an Open Book

“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.”
— Ann Garvin, On Maggie's Watch (Berkley Penguin)

"The Geometry of Love explores the journey of the heart through decades, of wondering 'what if', and of finding that person who truly makes you feel alive. . . . if you let yourself get caught up in this story, you will be in good hands."
— Literary R&R

"Jessica Levine has crafted a lyrical and realistic examination of the complications and exhilarations of romantic entanglements. . . . Julia is a compelling and relatable protagonist . . . "
— Foreword Reviews

"Dive into this complex Möbius strip of a novel to enter Julia's mind as she contends with thoughts of creativity's source, of the importance of erotic love, of family, and of the price of infidelity. Read this novel to see how the geometry of love with its triangles and linear equations can lead to one plus one becoming two or perhaps to much more."
— Hungry for Good Books?

"[A] sharp look at one woman's impassioned attempts at self-realization in both love and art."
— Bloggers Recommend