I’ve fallen into the hole of Alice Oseman’s work after the heart-fluttering romance in Heartstopper. Then, I came across this book. I’ve always found myself swayed and utterly charmed by Alice Oseman’s characters. Similar to Heartstopper, Loveless is a heartfelt exploration of queer identities. But, it does hold the usual Oseman’s tinge of heart-wrenching moments that crushes your heart. But Loveless is wholesome, same as all other Oseman’s works. It is a story of discovery and acceptance. A story of what it means to love, romantically and platonically. A story of what it feels like to exist as someone who is “loveless” in a world so full of it.
The story of Loveless follows Georgia, who despite her love for romance has never experienced it herself. As she enters university, she determinedly sets out to find love and have her happy ever after. I love how the story itself is quite evenly paced and straightforward, delivered through Oseman’s succinct style of writing.
I’d say the characters of Loveless are the best described to be wholesome! The relationships shared between the characters reminded me of my group of friends, especially with the endless banter. I’ve always loved how Oseman makes sure to push for representation in each of her works! I thought each character was fleshed out quite well, considering it all took place from Georgia’s perspective.
I believe it was due to Oseman’s approach to dialogue. She wrote them with distinctive tones and voices when it comes to different characters. Although, I wonder if the writing was fleshed out a bit more in terms of descriptions and prose, would it have been better? The delivery is quite simple and straightforward. It definitely works in favor of the story and the fact that it’s told from Georgia’s perspective!
I’ve also managed to have my heart squeezed and shattered as I read this book. The bitter arguments and the misunderstandings. It was frustrating, but a lot of the conflicts were all too real. I felt that particularly with Georgia’s struggle to communicate her specific feelings to her friends. Because, no matter how close or how much you trust someone, it could never put them in your position to understand how you feel. And how would you pull through that? It’s difficult.
However, I have to admit that Loveless is the first fictional book I’ve read that explores aromanticism and asexuality, so my view on it may be limited. I feel that it shows the perspective of someone who isn’t romance-repulsed quite well. The story also explores the complexity of this sort of unspoken pressure for young people to reach this relationship milestone. It puts its focus on how a romance-centric society can be without us realizing it and aside from some annoyances, it showed how that pressure can really affect the way others perceive and treat you.
Overall, Loveless is a heartfelt coming-of-age story about understanding what love is and what it means to love. I was able to enjoy reading it without a single pause and was just charmed by the characters. It really brings out the importance of platonic relationships and how it is equally just as valid as romantic ones. Friendship is at the core of Loveless and it brought me to certain points if I truly have cherished my friendships as much as I could.
I will end this by saying that people within the a-spec community don’t exist in a monolith. Not all are sex-repulsed nor romance-repulse, which I thought wasn’t quite thoroughly mentioned nor explored in the book despite the main character’s very evident love for romance. We all have different feelings and experiences, and all.
(Originally posted on Wordpress)
