Twenty-One Truths About Love, by Matthew Dicks

Twenty-One Truths About Love is, surprisingly, a book comprised of lists. The story follows Dan, a guy who quit his job as a teacher to become a bookstore owner. Now he is on the verge of being broke, and he hides this from his pregnant wife, Jill. Dan plots a wild plan to get enough money to save his family. Throughout the book, we get insight into Dan’s mind- his insecurities with being married to a widow, his hatred for etch-a-sketches… the list goes on.

At first, I thought “How can an interesting story be told through lists?” Well, Matthew Dicks taught me how. I loved how human this book felt- it felt like a real person telling me all of their strange inner thoughts. All of Dan’s opinions were just so honest and witty. I felt surprisingly connected to the characters- I understood how much Dan loved Jill and why he wouldn’t tell her about their financial situation (not very smart of him though). This was such a fun book, I highly recommend it. 

Reviewed by Amanda B., Grade 11

Montrose Library