Wolo is a purposeful man. He goes to work and does a good job, hangs out with friends on occasion, and tries to get away from the women in the community who always have another possible romantic match for him. But the car accident that took his wife hangs over him like a heavy cloud, and he will never forget her loss, no matter how hard he tries.

Three years later, as he has settled into his new routine, a letter arrives from Victoria, the woman who is responsible for his wife’s death. It is several pages of sorrowful prose marking her inability to forget what has happened until she has been forgiven. Wolo ponders a possible meeting with Victoria, despite the warnings and angry judgments of his father-in-law, his mother, the family pastor, and his father’s second wife (who calls direct from Cameroon to tell him to destroy the letter and move on). 

"Grief is all the rage these days in literary circles, but EVERY STORY IS A LOVE STORY offers an intriguing twist on the subject."

Wolo is curious. What will come from all of this hate and anger? This thought leads him to meet up with Victoria. Her remorse speaks to him, making him consider the price of perhaps sharing the burden of this loss with the person who made it happen. EVERY STORY IS A LOVE STORY then embarks on a journey that will change the lives of these thoughtful protagonists in ways that readers will not expect.

In between the musings and conversations he shares with his loved ones, all of whom have the same opinion about leaving well enough alone, Wolo tells stories about the life he had with his wife. Beginning with his sort of stalking her at Rutgers, where she was studying, moving to New Brunswick straight from Cameroon, through their courtship, sharing some difficult circumstances (to be or not to be pregnant is part of the story), and deciding to join their lives with their families’ blessings, PEN/Faulkner Award winner Imbolo Mbue’s latest novel is Wolo’s story for most of the book. However, when Victoria arrives, he is forced to truly consider his humanity and extend it as far as he can. 

The idea of victim and perpetrator sharing the burden of grief and pain is a new idea for a modern novel. Usually the onus is on just one of the people involved, attempting to maintain their humanity in the face of such horror. Grief is all the rage these days in literary circles, but EVERY STORY IS A LOVE STORY offers an intriguing twist on the subject. If a victim and a killer, however accidental, can find a way to work together to honor the dead, where does that leave the naysayers? Is this a good thing or a bad thing? You the reader will decide.