The Politics of Love by Jen Jensen
- Publisher: Bold Strokes Books, 2020
- Genre: Romance, LGBTQ+
- Format: Paperback (eARC)
- Page Count: 242 pages
- My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
Evangelical Republican attorney and writer Shelley Whitmore meets the liberal, transgender rights activist and psychotherapist Rand Thomas for an MSNBC show in Manhattan. The pair connects immediately with philosophical and political debates. But Shelley has yet to come to terms with her own sexuality and Rand is suffering constant harassment from her deceased wife’s parents. With their values clashing and own problems to tend to, will Shelley and Rand be able to reach out to each other and build something more out of their friendship?
It is now official. I always fall for emotionally intense stories. And I totally fell for The Politics of Love and felt every emotional struggle the characters were experiencing.
We wrestle with the things we can’t explain easily, and from that struggle, we draw our faith and find love and hope.
Shelley
Though a conservative, Shelley shares many beliefs that most consider liberal. The opening of the book immediately touches on that so readers will be able to connect with her from the beginning. I love Rand’s identity of a gender nonconforming female. We don’t get to see that often. And the relationship between Shelley and Rand is well balanced. Both characters are strong, supportive, yet struggling and equally vulnerable. Rand’s best friends Jamie and Rachel also add a lot of warmth to the story.
To be loved, accepted, supported, and included for exactly who you are, with no expectation of change? I think it’s the best privilege there is.
Rand
I love how The Politics of Love is not just a romance, but also a story with great conversations that spark thoughts. The political discussions between Shelley and Rand are very constructive. Though not shown in depth, I love that they connect and build their relationship based on mutual admiration of intellect in addition to initial attraction. Despite their exchanges during the first year after they met are sparsely told in the book, as readers, we understand that a lot is implied and many things happen in life. I thought the gaps in time would bother me, but they did not. Jensen told the story in such a way that we see the strengthening of their connection anyway.
The sentences are simple, and similes incredibly precise. The Politics of Love reads almost poetically. Jensen carefully used words to capture emotions, feelings, and something deeper. With both Shelley and Rand being very sensitive people, I immediately connected with them. There are many depictions of anxiety, depression, and OC tendencies, and through reading, I got sucked into what they were feeling. The despair and panic felt incredibly real.
Something in the middle of her was frozen. The fire of grief and guilt was replaced with an iceberg. Somewhere on it, a polar bear was starving.
Though there are minor hiccups from the narrative skipping details here and there, I love how Jensen’s words made me feel and what they had me thinking. For a novel on the shorter end of word count, The Politics of Love absolutely out did what most books could achieve in 50k words. And I cannot wait to see what Jensen has for us in the future.
The Politics of Love is a story about reclaiming your own identity and carrying on after loss. This beautiful work had my heart tingle in all the right places.
Oh, and did you know that there is a playlist of Shelley and Rand on Jensen’s website? [14 Jun 2020]
I received an e-ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
