Abducted by How They Met And Other Stories

THE HEADLINE: A collection that brings back the nostalgia of falling in love, having our hearts broken, and the process of picking up the pieces.

THE ABDUCTOR: David Levithan. This is a book that is a collection of 18 of his short stories. Although there were definitely some I liked more than others, all in all Levithan is the thread that connects them.
And let us not forget, even what could be considered the worst of Levithan is still better than no Levithan at all!

TIME IN CAPTIVITY: A collection of short stories by any author is going to have its ups and downs. There will be stories that are adorable and leave you smiling and others that leave you scratching your head going “Huh?”

One of the aspects of Levithan’s writing that makes this collection of short stories stand out, is his ability to highlight the unsuspecting relationships. Most of the stories are not just about the two people who might be falling in or out of love. Most of the stories feature amazing relationships between strangers, siblings, friends, and parents.

My favorite story was the first piece titled Starbucks Boy, but the relationship that is featured primarily in that
story is not that of Gabriel meeting Justin. No, the most endearing relationship in the story is between the Gabriel and the little girl he is babysitting for the summer, Arabella.

I’m a hopeless romantic at heart so of course my favorite pieces are going to be the ones with the perfect-bow-tied-happy endings. However, the ones that had the more thought provoking endings offered a needed balance to the collection.

PICK UP LINE: The very first sentences I underlined in How They Met And Other Stories was actually found in the author’s note that was featured prior to the table of contents!

As you guys may know the reason I decided to host Levithan Loveathon in February was because I had read the David Levithan started writing short stories as Valentine’s Day gifts for his friends. Well, Levithan elaborates on this in the Author’s Note at the beginning of this collection (fun fact: he mentions that it all started in his Junior year of high school!). The last lines of the note read:

How They Met refers not only to the characters in the stories but to the stories themselves. Here they are, meeting for the first time. In the same way that paragraphs meet, and sentences meet, and words meet. Enjoy the intersections.

POINT OF ABDUCTION: As I said my favorite story included in the collection was the very first story called Starbucks Boy. And for me the point of abduction in that story was when Gabriel mentions that each time you do something for a crush, you run the risk of writing a new chapter in your own book titled “Things Done In The Name of Crushes.” When I read that I instantly flashed back to all of the horrifically embarrassing things I did in the name of a crush. Then I thought it would be funny if I actually ever did write a collection of all the stories of the stuff I did in the name of a crush. Then my stomach immediately started turning and I thought better about it.

After mentioning the idea of each of our own books titled “Things Done In The Name of Crushes” he writes…

One successful gesture, one successful relationship would suddenly turn it into a History of Stupid Things Done In The Name of Crushes That Were All Redeemed In the End.

Gotta love that optimism!

ABDUCTION RATING:  How They Met And Other Stories was a great choice to kick off this years Loveathon! And a must read for any true Levithan fan, since these are the stories that started it all!