If Emily Henry makes fun of the character’s dialogue in her own books, it’s understandable. She is a master of clever retorts.
In his latest novel, Book Lovers, Henry introduces Nora Stephens and Charlie Lafra. Nora is a literary agent and Charlie is a book editor. The two meet once about a possible book that Charlie could edit and they both make a bad impression. Minutes before, Nora was dumped by her boyfriend over the phone. She is late and Charlie is in a bad mood. He is also not a fan of the book Nora is releasing, calling it “unreadable”. The two debate the book and go their separate ways. Is this the last of Nora and Charlie? Of course not, but you have to read to find out what happens next.
“Book Lovers” is not only a romantic love story, but also a love story about two sisters, Nora and her younger sister Libby, whom she puts before everything else. Her mother died years before and Nora has felt overprotective of Libby ever since and wants to solve all of her problems (much to Libby’s annoyance). When heavily pregnant Libby declares that she wants to get away for a few weeks and visit Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, a quaint little town she’s read about, Nora naturally says she does.
Almost every Hallmark movie, and many romance novels, feature a big-city protagonist who finds himself in a small town where he learns about himself, what he wants in life, and of course, finds love. While “Book Lovers” has that setting, he also deconstructs it. Nora is unapologetic about working hard and not wanting to have children of her own. She is not looking to change her ways or her lifestyle.
The only thing confusing about the Henry books is not really about Henry’s writing, but about Hollywood. Why hasn’t anyone gotten hold of one of his stories for an adaptation of him? Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy made nine movies together, fueled by their chemistry and banter. It’s a safe bet that viewers will enjoy seeing Henry’s characters come to life on screen.
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