For instance, Nick, who is the narrator of the story, says that they enjoy each other’s company, and Laura is a woman with which it is easy to be close.

On the contrary, they seem to have a hollow relationship, which Mel describes as virtual perfection. In return, Laura bumps her husband’s knee with hers to urge him to speak. I encircled the broad wrist with my fingers, and I held her” (Carver 390). It was warm, the nails polished, perfectly manicured. They behave very affectionately towards each other “I touched the back of Laura’s hand. It is the kind newly married couples express to each other, and it seems that this is a remarkable period in their love life. The kind of love they exhibit is physical. They met in the course of their professional duties and have been married for eighteen months. Nick and Laura are a couple who got married recently. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love: Theme Physical love It focuses on two couples that gather around a table drinking gin and talking about love. One of the most touching and thought-provoking stories bears the same title as the entire collection. The collection is united by the theme of love that is considered under various angles in each of the stories.

Published in 1981, the book received immediate critical acclaim and gained the nickname of “minimalist masterpiece”. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love is a collection of 17 short stories written by Raymond Carver, a famous American writer.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Love: Summary The essay shall examine major themes and main characters of the story and their attitude to love and relationships. Love means different things to different people. In contemporary pop culture, the word love has been overused, and it is not easy to tell what the word actually means. However, love is different in each instance, and the concept of love puzzles many people. People talk about loving their parents, cars, pets, movies, books, ice cream, children, spouses, and so forth. Talking about love, people mean different things. Love is a word that one hears in everyday life. “ What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” by Carver explores the subject of love. Raymond Carver is the writer who uses minimalism in his writing style to set up the tone of the story from the very beginning.

What we talk about love