Customer Reviews

Love You Two

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3 star:		(1)
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Love You Two is the first novel from Australian academic and researcher Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli. When an average teenage girl accidentally discovers that her mother is polyamorous - she has a boyfriend in addition to her husband, and all three partners are open and honest about the situation - her rage and confusion drive her into a tale of self-discovery and personal growth, and triggers a chain reaction that brings down the many walls of secrecy among her family and friends.

This book deals with issues such as teenage sex, date rape, bisexuality, homosexuality, polyamory, and "rainbow families" in a sensitive and subtle way. Despite its themes, it is suitable for reading by teenagers and possibly younger children if their parents feel they are mature enough.

In addition to its important themes, Love You Two is also a gripping and entertaining read, painting a vivid and believable picture of a family fractured by too many years of secrets and regrets. The author's years of academic research into alternative sexualities and diverse families mean that this book is packed with genuine stories of real-life families, giving the whole novel a sense of believability.

Very highly recommended, both as a primer for anyone wanting to know more about the modern sexually-diverse family, and for anyone looking for an interesting read.

I have been an admirer of Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli for several years now, with the highest respect for her ideas and the complexities her research brings out. A specialist in psychosocial analysis, Pallotta-Chiarolli has worked extensively on bisexuality as it intersects with second-wave feminism and Deconstruction.

I read Love You Two because I love the memoir as a genre (am also author of one), and was curious about how Maria would handle a work of narrative that, albeit not exactly a memoir, is nonetheless quite close to the experiences of her personal life and those of the communities she is part of and is a researcher about, including Australian Italians who consort with LGBTQ groups and lifestyles. I am the kind of academic who not only respects, but also fervently admires those of us able to write for the general public--able to communicate our ideas and emotions in ways simple enough for anybody to grasp. I've tried my own hand at that with some success . . . .

What Maria has done with this book is astounding: not only she has succeeded in getting off the scholarly pedestal and wear the hat of a genuine narrator who has a story to tell and is passionate about it, she also has managed to shift the narrator's viewpoint one entire generation forward from ours. In fact, I remember asking her "how did you manage to figure out so well how a 16 year old girl today would feel about her polyamorous mom?" This is what made the book for me impossible to put down.

At heart, we all are 16 year olds, especially if we are capable of love and passion. The emotions of adolescence awaken us to the magic of love in adult life. Isn't the ability to be present to the intensity of these emotions the mark of a true storyteller and writer? If it is, then Love You Two definitely bears that one. Other merits are of course the book's ability to capture the predicament of those in Italian communities overseas (be it Australia, America, or other) to stay connected to the cultural legacies of their origins without being enslaved by them: to appreciate the intensity of the drama of life in ways that are especially Italian, and fertilize gay, queer, and bi communities with that authenticity and passion.

A must read for anyone interested in LGBTQ literature as it intersects with the experience of being part of ethnic and other minority cultures whose 'differences' are often either hyper-accentuated or not made visible enough.

An exploration of how a teen comes to grips with the reality of who her mother is...

In some places, this was a completely heart-touching, endearing story. It explores what it takes to achieve happiness - the ability to make a choice you know that others would not, and to embrace that choice.... to deal with the pain that choice will likely bring you, even though it also brings great joy. I admit. I cried.

In other places, though, this is a completely shallow, cookie-cutter prone story of the gaps of generations. A grandmother is bitter and feels no good has come of her children. A mother wants her happiness, but is willing for forgo it for the happiness of the generation above and the generation below. A daughter wants happiness, has it neatly handed to her on a plate, but refuses to accept it, and instead has all of the unjustified angst and anger of a spoiled teen. The use of what felt like nothing more than stereotypical characters and plot movements made the book flippant. See the above definitions of three primary characters. Throw in a poor encounter with a member of the opposite sex. Add the teen's escape to her uncle's house, via a bus ride where she meets a sage old woman. Introduce a character for no more than 10 pages, who touches her heart, gives her a sappy gift, and then promptly dies.

I wanted to love this book, this girl, this family. I didn't necessarily hate them, but neither did I feel connected in the way I wanted. Perhaps it has more to do with not being an Italian-Australian teen. Perhaps. I'll let myself believe that is why.

I found the start of this story a little simple and dry; but it quickly built up layers of subtle complex connections and emotional exploration that I really enjoyed.

Both a good story and a thoughtful guide through the wider world of love.