Almost Like Being In Love / Steve Kluger

Almost Like Being In Love is a 2008 epistolary novel by Steve Kluger. Unlike most authors of epistolary novels, Kluger relies on much more than just letters to tell the story: newspaper clippings, journal entries, Post-It Notes, checklists, applications, and even menus all appear at various times within the book's pages.

Plot
In 1978, Travis and Craig are seniors in high school. Travis is a nerd, and Craig is a jock, but the two embark on an unlikely relationship together that gets severed when they go to different colleges. Flash forward twenty years, and the bulk of the novel starts when Travis realizes his love for Craig was the only true love he'd ever experienced and he starts on a cross-country journey to rekindle the flame. The stories of various other characters -- including Travis's roommate and Craig's best firend -- unfold along the way.

Relevance
This novel touches on just about every issue related to relationships, particularly gay and lesbian ones. The first few chapters handle the fire of youth well, and the rest tackles the reality of adult relationships. Outside of one character's avid interest in gay civil rights, there is nothing in this book that speaks specifically to a gay audience: open-minded heterosexuals will garner just as much pleasure from Travis's and Craig's journeys as a gay man or woman. Of course, Craig and Travis are gay, and that alone is enough to hold the GLBT audience enthralled.