In Touch: Books about long-distance love
On March 27th, 1884, the first long-distance phone call was made between Boston and New York. While that was considered pivotal in its time, our long-distance communications have grown quite a bit since then. Now we've got not only long-distance phone calls, but emails, texts and sessions on webcam too.
Here are some books that explore the challenges that come with keeping in touch with loved ones, no matter where you are.
Falling Blossom: A British officer's enduring love for a Japanese woman
By Peter Pagnamenta, 2006
Arthur Hart-Synnot was posted in Japan and fell in love with a local woman, Masa. As a British officer, he was forced to move multiple times over his career. Despite seeing each other only for short periods over the course of a decade, Arthur and Masa kept in touch through letters that fueled their dedication to each other until the very end. This is a tragic true story that includes many of their original letters, translated from Japanese.
The Geography of You and Me
By Jennifer E. Smith, 2014
(Also available in eBook)
When teens Lucy and Owen meet on an elevator in Manhattan in the midst of a blackout, there's an immediate spark. But as they both go back to their homes – Lucy to Scotland, and Owen out west – their connection is put to the test. A trail of emails and postcards charts their relationship over the course of a year in this thoughtful young adult book.
Landline
By Rainbow Rowell, 2015
Georgie and Neal's marriage has been slightly strained for a while. When she puts her career ahead of their family Christmas – with only two days notice – things really start to fall apart. But when Georgie discovers a way to communicate with the past version of her husband in a strange take on time travel, she thinks there might just be a way to make their love whole again.
The Notebook
By Nicholas Sparks, 1996
If you've yet to read a Nicholas Sparks' novel, and would like to try one, this is required reading (a big box of tissues is optional). It's got lost lovers, forbidden romance, and of course, a stack of love letters that Noah Calhoun writes to Allie Nelson while they are separated by circumstance and societal pressures.
The Book of Strange New Things
By Michel Faber, 2014
I've recommended this book before, but it warrants a repeat mention, in case you missed it the first time around. In the not-so-distant future, Peter, a pastor, is offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: to travel to a planet light years away to spread the gospel. The mission doesn't come without a price, however. His beloved wife, Bea, is left behind, waiting for him to return. Through inter-galactic transmissions, they share their vastly different experiences. Can their marriage survive planets apart?
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