The Course of Love: A Novel

Rabih is a romantic, and his views of love start to develop at a relatively young age. Ultimately, he meets Kirsten at a job site, they fall in love, and life goes on from there. But the course of love does not always flow smoothly, as evidenced by the many difficulties that the two face throughout their lives: money issues, children, adultery.

In The Course of Love, Alain de Botton has created a novel rich with story, psychology, and philosophy. This book goes where so many do not: beyond happily ever after, before an explosive breakup, and straight to the heart of where real relationships lie. Readers get to see Rabih and Kirsten at their best and worst as they discover one another and mature together over the span of many years. While the story itself is nothing exceptional, the way it mirrors real life is truly extraordinary, and de Botton’s insights into the human mind are deeply enlightening.