Love and Other Words (2018)

Macy and Elliot first connect through books and word games, and the childhood scenes make their ease together feel earned. Their reunion after eleven years asks whether that remembered intimacy can survive everything left unsaid. The alternating past and present reward readers who want the friendship's small rituals as much as its romantic promise. Bereavement and sexual assault are part of a much heavier history than the nostalgic setup suggests.