Ordinary Love by Marie Rutkoski is a decade-spanning exploration of the relationship (and at times, the lack thereof) between Gen and Emily. The story begins in the present day with Emily navigating her way through a messy divorce from her controlling husband, Jack, after he shows aggression towards their son. It is during this confusing time of her life that she attends a party and unexpectedly bumps into her first love, Gen, who is now a famous olympian living a completely opposite life to Emily. But despite their differences, seeing each other after all this time reignites some supressed feelings for both of them.
This book is truly everything that a character-driven romantic literary fiction fan (say that ten times fast) could wish for. Let’s start with Marie Rutkoski’s masterful writing style. The timeline of this book jumps between present day and Emily and Gen’s high school/college days - so we’re looking at an almost twenty year gap. This means that as we learn more about them currently, we are slowly fed context on their teenage relationship, allowing readers to build up a full picture of how they reached the point of two decades of no contact. I really enjoy when books alternate between timelines like this because it shakes up a linear plotline to make it even more engaging and difficult to put down.
Furthermore, I found it really interesting to see how two people who were so seemingly in-sync at one point in time can end up living wildly differing lives, and Rutkoski’s prose gives you such an honest insight into the decisions that lead to this. So, I think it’s fair to say that story aside, Ordinary Love is a beautifully written book. However, it would be CRIMINAL to put this story aside!!
I’m going to cut to the chase and tell you that I gave this book an effortless 5 stars. This plot is so achingly filled with hope, which is even more compelling given some of the themes discussed throughout. As teenagers, Gen and Emily become friends when Emily agrees to help Gen study, and Gen agrees to help Emily win her races for the track team. This friendship progresses into the kind of first love that is fumbly, and awkward, and beautiful if a little more complicated given the fact that for Gen, and Emily, in particular, this is their first experience of their queerness. They face ignorance from Emily’s religious father, and conflict from her college friends who have a very stereotypical view of gay relationships, and Marie Rutkoski doesn’t shy away from the emotional toll that dealing with these situations can take on a person. Then, in the present day, Emily has spent the majority of her adult life married to a generationally wealthy man who is abusive and manipulative, meaning that when Emily leaves him, she really does have to rebuild her life with her two children from scratch. The contrast between the darkness that Emily feels with Jack, and the light that she feels with Gen literally radiates from the page, and it is here that the hope lives. It gives the story a real bittersweet undertone which, in my experience, is commonplace with second chance romances between protagonists with relationships that you can genuinely become invested in.
I can see how readers who prefer plot-driven narratives could become frustrated with the pacing at some points of the story - it’s definitely more of a character study than anything - but as I said earlier, if you are someone who enjoys connecting with protagonists and understanding their actions as you read, then Marie Rutkoski’s writing style will definitely be up your street. So, to summarize my feelings on Ordinary Love (gosh, even the title perfectly captures the calm that comes with being with the right person), I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and will definitely be keeping a look out for any future releases from this author moving forwards! 5 Stars!!