Jennifer Weiner is one of the few writers I have the utmost faith in delivering a well-written chick-lit-lite novel. At this point I have an entire shelf dedicated to her books and my husband actually recognizes her name.
Who Do You Love is told from the alternating perspectives of Rachel Blum and Andy Landis over a period of thirty years. Rachel was born with a heart defect that lands her in the hospital for several weeks when she is in middle school recovering from an operation. Bored one night, she goes down to the lobby and meets a young boy, Andy, who is waiting for his mom to come sign the paperwork so he can be treated for a broken arm. Their encounter is brief but meaningful for both of them.
“Your first love is important. It’s part of your story. The story you’ll tell yourself, the one you’ll tell about yourself, for the rest of your life.”
The two couldn’t have more different lives. Andy is being raised by his white mother in Philadelphia, his black father died when he was a baby. They have little money and Andy gets in a lot of fights at school. His neighbor, Mr. Sills, bails him out during an incident that the police get involved in; Mr. Sills begins to mentor Andy who channels his energy into running. Rachel is a Jewish American Princess, she is raised in upper-middle class Florida and focused on being “normal” and “popular” following her medical issues.
They meet again at a summer volunteer program in high-school and begin a long distance love affair over the years. Andy goes on to be an Olympic runner while Rachel devotes herself to social work. Sometimes they are together and sometimes they are apart but like most first loves they never forget one another.
I liked this one more than last year’s All Fall Down. I appreciated that Rachel and Andy don’t have a picture perfect relationship. They both have faults and grow throughout the novel (which again, spans 30 years) in an organic way. The story had sad moments but overall it was cheerier with more of a “feel good” tone.
