Love May Fail: A Novel

"Love may fail, but courtesy will prevail." Kurt Vonnegut
Love May Fail by Matthew Quick is a very highly recommended novel about redemption, relationships, and interconnected lives. It's also, in part, about goodness, broken people, adultery, unconventional families, English teachers, religion, 80's metal bands, fate, coincidence, hoarders, drinking, paper airplanes, and closure. I loved it.

After witnessing her wealthy pornographer and serial-cheating husband Ron's latest affair with a teenager, instead of shooting them, Portia Kane jumps on a plane, drunk, headed for South Jersey and her hoarder mother's house. On the plane Portia sits next to and profanely over-shares her woes with an elderly plucky nun before passing out. Sister show more Maeve wisely leaves Portia her contact information. Once in NJ, Portia is back at her mom's house, trying to avoid the piles of stuff, and drinking the diet Coke with Lime her mom has obsessively purchased just in case Portia ever visits.

While trying to get her mom out of the house, they go to a diner where Portia meets an old high school friend, which leads to meeting her little boy, Tommy, and her brother, Chuck Bass, who secretly always had a crush on Portia. (All of them love 80's metal bands, especially Motley Crue.) When Portia tells them she wants to find their old English Teacher, Mr. Vernon, and tell him how much he meant to her, she learns that he gave up teaching and left town after a student attacked him. She plans to help/rescue Mr. Vernon because he believed in her. Although it may appear I've retold the whole plot, this is only a taste of Love May Fail. There is so much more.

All the characters embody the Albert Camus quote Quick includes: "Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal."

I thought Love May Fail was a delight to read. Yes, sometimes it is sad and heartbreaking, but it is also quirky and funny. These are all very real characters, broken in some ways, trying to redeem themselves. They all have lots of faults and are trying to do what they think they are supposed to do in order to become the person they are supposed to be. They are also all strangely interconnected, be it a master plan or fate, and need each other in some capacity. The novel unfolds through three characters and the letters of a fourth. Portia, Mr. Vernon, and Chuck all take up the narrative and tell us what is going on, while Sister Maeve has one short section comprised of letters she has written.

Love May Fail is most assuredly very well written. Quick does a superb job with dialogue and the plot moves along quickly. I can concede that some readers may struggle with Portia's swearing and rants, especially at the beginning, but give the woman a chance. Think about how you would feel in her situation. And, again, all of these characters have faults, just like real people, and they are trying to do the best they can. I just love it when a novel comes together perfectly and hits all the right marks for me!

Disclosure: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher and TLC for review purposes. show less

3.5/5 Matthew Quick is the best selling author of a number of novels, including The Silver Linings Playbook and The Good Luck of Right Now.

His latest novel - Love May Fail - is newly released.

Portia Kane's marriage ends in spectacular fashion. Determined to save herself and perhaps find happiness - or at least solace - she heads back to her childhood home in New Jersey. Her high school English teacher Mr. Vernon was an unflinching, unfailing positive beacon in a somewhat bleak childhood. When she gets home, an old classmate gives her the bad news - Mr. Vernon was attacked by a student and gave up teaching. And Portia decides to save Mr. Vernon, just as he saved her. And maybe save herself in the process.

Quick continues the quirk factor show more in Love May Fail - each of the players is slightly left of center in one way or another. And many of the situations they find themselves in are just as unusual. I very much enjoy quirky characters that don't play to the mainstream. But I did find Love May Fail somewhat recognizable. Quick relies on some familiar plot devices last seen in The Good Luck of Right Now, such as the church and religion, (this time it's a nun not a priest), a bar and its regulars, cancer makes an appearance again and literary references to a specific book. (Albert Camus replaces Carl Jung) And it is this somewhat familiar plot that drops this book from a fantastic read to a good read for me. I enjoyed it very much, but still there was just something that stopped me from loving it.

There are four parts to the book and each has a different narrator - Portia, Mr. Vernon, Sister Maeve and Chuck (bartender and also a past student of Mr. Vernon). Initially I was quite taken by Mr. Vernon (Quick was a high school teacher and the book's prologue reveals some of his own experiences that became part of Mr.Vernon) But, although I knew I should feel sympathy for the broken Mr. Vernon, I found it hard to see past his angry disillusionment. And the same for Portia. She is the driving force of the book, but I just didn't overly like her. Her determination to save her old teacher versus helping her mother bothered me. But, as she says "not everyone can be saved." The standout characters for me were Sister Maeve, Chuck and his wee nephew Tommy. Their stories, their struggles and their journeys were the most engaging for me - and the ones I was most invested in.

Faith, or if you prefer, serendipity binds the lives of every character to the others in mysterious ways. And that what if and why not is at the heart of Quick's novels - that if we let go and just go with it, things just might work out. Who's to say it couldn't happen? The cover? One of Mr. Vernon's lessons - and a pretty good one. The title? From Kurt Vonnegut's Jailbird. show less

Anything Matthew Quick writes is cause for celebration. This book is no different. In all honesty, it may be one of my favorites from him. I ADORE the characters in this quirky, offbeat, feelgood novel, and you can't help but rooting for all of them. As with Quick's other novels, this book deals with mental illness (hoarding, depression) and even throws in some opiate addiction. The story is told through the perspectives of four wildly diverse characters: Portia Kane, a recently liberated woman who had been married to a pornographer, Mr. Vernon, a former high school english teacher contemplating suicide, a zany nun who is on her deathbed and just wants to hear from her son, and Chuck Bass, an ex-heroin addict who just wants to fall in show more love and be an elementary teacher. All four characters find themselves intertwined, can they save themselves? Find love? Rekindle that old spark? A fantastic read and I can't wait for the next Quick novel! show less

This is by the author of Silver Linings Playbook (I did not read that book but saw the movie). I think the author is expert at creating quirky characters and relationships. Many of these characters are intertwined by odd coincidences. They are all flawed, but also have redeeming qualities. Most of the relationships are pretty believable. I thought the part about Portia's novel and the aftermath went a little too fast, and the epilogue wrapped things up a little too neatly, but it's a great read. And indeed, love may fail. But it may not.

Some books just grab you right away, and I can add Matthew Quick's Love May Fail to that list. It begins with a card that reads:

Portia Kane, Official Member of the Human Race! This card entitles you to the ugliness and beauty, heartache and joy- the great highs and lows of existence- and everything in between. It also guarantees you the right to strive, to reach, to dream, and to become the person you know (deep down) you are meant to be. So make daring choices, work hard, enjoy the ride, and remember- you become exactly whomever you choose to be.

Then we jump into the first chapter where Portia Kane is hiding in her bedroom closet with a gun, ready to catch her pornographer husband red-handed in the act of cheating on her. Portia show more ponders how she got there. She used to be a feminist, but as she says,
"Being a feminist is so easy when you're a college freshman with enough scholarship money and financial aid to cover tuition, room and board. A woman with a clean slate. Compromises come with age."
The scene between Portia and her husband, (with a very young naked woman also in the mix) is just funny and crazy and brilliantly written. My favorite line happens when Portia tells the young woman exactly what she is in for sexually with Ken, and as she is throwing her clothes into a weekend bag, she thinks, "Naked Ken watches me with his mouth hanging open, like I just invented fire." That one just had me laughing out loud.

Portia gets on a plane to go home to her hoarder mother. She sits next to a nun, who offers her an ear and some vodka, even though Portia has already got a good start on getting drunk. Portia spills her guts to Sister Maeve, who is a real pistol herself. Quick creates characters with whom I connected right away.

Portia's mother is clearly mentally ill, as most hoaders are, and Quick handles the character with empathy, creating a woman we care about and ache for, just as we ache for Portia having to deal with this alone her entire life as there was no father in the picture.

While she is home, she wants to find the high school teacher, Mr. Nate Vernon, who gave all of his students the Human Race card, and showed Portia particular kindness in her life when she needed it. She discovers that Mr. Vernon left teaching after an incident, and she becomes determined to help him.

As the story advances, Portia reconnects with a high school friend, now a single mom of a five-year-old boy. We also see what has become of Mr. Vernon, as he narrates the second part of the story. His story is moving.

Fate plays a big part in the story, and as does Portia's quest to prove that Mr. Vernon was right: there is human decency and goodness in the world, and people can become whomever they choose to be.

There are some plot points that may seem obvious, and then there are some that, when they come together, made me smile. Quick has put a lot into his story- faith, mental illness, family, love, friendship, a belief in yourself, and how handling things when life doesn't go your way builds your character.

I absolutely adored Chuck, a man who works hard to maintain his sobriety and wants to be a teacher. He is Quick's alter ego in this novel, (Quick was a teacher) and I felt he was the most believable character.

I sincerely hope that Love May Fail is turned into a movie like Quick's previous book The Silver Linings Playbook was. There is so much to love here and the characters are so strongly developed, they leapt off the page and into my heart. I give Love May Fail my highest recommendation. It's funny, sad, messy and complicated, just like life. show less

There's no failing for those with hope!

Matthew Quick has a remarkable talent building unique characters, worlds and stories that bring humanity to light. Portia Kane had been married to a lying, disrespectful porn producer for years and upon discovering him screwing a teen, escapes to live with her mother who rarely speaks and watches TV all day.

Soon after she finds solace with a high school girlfriend who waits tables at the local dive. Reflecting on the 'good ol' days, she removes a card given to her by Mr. Vernon, "Member of the Human Race" holding inspirational quotes on the back. As they chat, her desire to be an author is reignited due Vernon's support for his students and unique approach to educating. When she learns he'd been show more hiding in VT for years due to a beating inflicted by a student, she decides to become his savior, and in the process finds love in her backyard. Once again the author uses themes of love, hope and joy to drive the story and as with all his books, characters are quirky, dysfunctional and unique. And while well paced and engaging, the plot is a somewhat predictable, hence a 4 star rating. I've read other books by Quick, and find his skill at immersing the reader in a story world through evocative plots and characters rates with the best, and look forward to reading the others. For those who enjoyed Silver Linings Playbook, you'll find this book equal in many ways. show less

Portia Kane peeks out from the slats of her bedroom closet contemplating murder as she watches her husband in bed with a much younger girl, but instead she walks out of both the closet and their marriage. Confused and frustrated, she returns home to Haddon Heights, NJ, to her hoarder mother, and reunites with one of her old fellow rocker girlfriends, (Motley Crue is featured prominently in the narrative.) Here she learns the story of their favorite English teacher who inspired them all, but now is unreachable, fleeing his life's work after a horrific incident. So begins the novel's quest of broken people looking for salvation in the goodness of others. Four narrators make up the plot of the novel and Quick's penchant for illuminating show more the misfits is still evident. I especially enjoyed the section by Mr. Vernon, the first lesson of each year and last memento "welcome to the human race" card gifted to his graduates. In truth there are a few coincidences here that are a stretch, but that doesn't bother the author. In an interview Mr. Quick stated that he wants to write novels that his Eagles loving hometown friends would read, translation: accessible, funny, rewarding.
He certainly has done that.
Good interview with the author:
https://libwww.freelibrary.org/podcast/episode/1379 show less