I Need You More Than I Love You and I Love You to Bits

When Morris meets Betty, love is unavoidable. In short prose passages, we follow the course of their passionate first love. A confident debut written in a surprising form, which gives the story intelligence and depth.

Morris feels like Betty can see everything he's thinking. Betty believes Morris understands her like no one ever before. She tells him everything, even about the dried-up worm that she saw on the sidewalk on the way to school. But sometimes the darkness closes in on Morris. His father is manic-depressive and his mother is always talking about dreams and poetry and her new boyfriend. Morris begins to wonder if crazy people are drawn to each other. Betty points out that he is like his father. As their love grows, it almost consumes them. Soon it's as if they are always trying to escape themselves until they ask, "How do you know when it's over?"

With both arms he pulls the comforter over their heads, fluffs it up so it forms a little tent.
"Time has stopped in here," he says, huddling against her. "under this comforter our names are Peanut and Sailor, there aren't any other people and we're going to live here forever, maybe have some little brats who think this bed is the whole universe."
"How will we get food?"
"There's no need for food, we'll live on hugs and kisses. And if we want something after all then we can just order out for Thai food."
"I'm starting to find it a little hard to breathe," she says, gasping for air. "Would a little breathing hole be all right?" —FROM THE BOOK