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A Novel
by Lily Meyer
A big-hearted, wise, unceasingly buoyant novel about a woman who, after escaping a bruising marriage, theorizes that happiness is possible solely with the eradication of all romance--only to find a love that could change her life forever.
Sylvie Broder was taught early to embrace joy. The granddaughter of Holocaust survivors whose greatest priority was enjoying the life they'd snatched back from Hitler, Sylvie believes in the tenacious pursuit of pleasure—yet, somehow, finds herself trapped in a suffocating, emotionally abusive marriage. With enormous fortitude, Sylvie frees herself and turns to graduate school, where she develops a new philosophy: Straight women will find true liberation and happiness only once romance is eradicated.
Now, Sylvie prides herself in separating sex from tenderness—having fun with men, but never committing to one. Then she meets Robbie and Abie, and finds her philosophy sorely tested. A warm and gentle man, Robbie treats Sylvie with patience and enormous kindness, offering her comfort she hasn't had since childhood. Abie is passionate and dynamic, a man who challenges Sylvie, and with whom she finds herself constantly disarmed. With both men, she feels a deep desire that looks, worryingly, a lot like love.
Cleverly constructed, delightfully funny, and beautifully written, The End of Romance is an anti-romance romance novel that charts its fallible heroine's tumultuous journey to love and happiness with erudition and deep feeling—a story for anyone who, despite their very best efforts, has fallen in love, and wondered why.
"[S]harp and sexy...This thought-provoking novel pulls off big ideas and steamy romance all at once." —Publishers Weekly
"An anti-romantic finds herself at odds with her own beliefs when she falls in love with not one, but two men...A less capable writer would stumble under the weight of the book's intricate themes, but Meyer's prose is both graceful and skillful. A charming and complex book full of intellect, humor, and—despite its title—romance." —Kirkus Reviews
"Meyer so beautifully captures the cumulative effect all of our past relationships (romantic and otherwise) have on us…in The End of Romance she's crafted an unforgettable cast of characters (including one splendid imaginary turtle). The End of Romance will be an encouraging companion to anyone who's struggled with the question of how to be true to yourself and how to let love in." —Katie Yee, author of Maggie
"Sylvie Broder is in the midst of a philosophy crisis. What's a briliant young Ph.D candidate to do when her thesis --- that romance must end --- turns out to be at odds with her life? Lily Meyer has created a funny, relatable, and empathetic protagonist who combs the literatures of moral and feminist thought---and frequently consults her imaginary turtle friend--- to confirm her theory that for a woman to thrive, her private and public lives must be bifurcated. Can the likes of Rich, Hegel, and Foucault help solve Sylvie find clarity? Perhaps not. The End of Romance is a brainy, highly original anti-romance romance that will speak to anyone who has ever wrestled with questions of love." —Susan Coll, bestselling author of Acceptance
This information about The End of Romance was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Lily Meyer is a translator, a critic, and the author of the novel Short War. She is also a contributing writer at The Atlantic. Her stories and translations can be found in The Dial, The Drift, The Sewanee Review, The Southern Review, and many other journals, and her essays and criticism appear in outlets including Bookforum, The New Yorker, and The New York Times Book Review.
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