Publicity materials for “Heart the Lover” describe it as a novel about a romantic triangle, which strikes me as lazy and unworthy of this witty, insightful book.

Yes, the triangle is absolutely writer Lily King’s favorite shape: Her “Euphoria" turned on the isosceles relationship between naturalist Margaret Mead and two men. And “Writers & Lovers” also dealt with a woman who’s having trouble deciding between two (possibly three) men. But “Heart the Lover” is about grief and family much more than it’s about whether Jordan, a novelist, will end up with one of two college sweethearts, Sam or Yash.

Jordan narrates in the present, looking back to several decades earlier, when she, Sam and Yash all studied literature. Now a novelist who is acclaimed for her insight into modern relationships (like King), Jordan’s relationship with Sam was intense but brief whereas she and Yash made plans for the future, plans which were ruined by Yash’s impulsive decision. Eventually, the book’s timeline stays in the present, when Jordan is happily married (to whom, it’s not immediately clear) and when a crisis unites the three college friends for an awkward, air-clearing reunion.

“Writers & Lovers” fans will want to know that “Heart the Lover” is in some ways a sequel, but it’s best not to reveal exactly how since King takes her time with that revelation. Let’s just say that whereas “Writers” was about a young person establishing a life, “Heart” is about trying to maintain that life: figuring out the impact of past relationships on present ones, settling into new roles with parents, guiding children through challenges.

King is smart about all of those topics and, especially, about how our attitudes can change; the looking-back structure of the novel means we’re simultaneously aware of how young Jordan viewed her romance with Yash and how older, happier Jordan now sees it.

Both versions of Jordan are sharp, funny company. Her in-jokes with Yash and Sam are not off-putting because she shares with us the rules to their made-up card games and the meaning behind their secret nicknames for professors. Jordan’s first-person narration is so observant and distinctive that we feel like we know her, which means King is able to employ the best kind of humor: amusing comments that are funny not because of what is said but because we can hear exactly how the characters are saying them.

It’s not just the jokes that ring true. When Jordan’s husband’s voice fades out at the end of a phone conversation, she tells us “it feels like a premonition of the fact that someday, one by one, we will be separated from each other forever.”

A couple of events in Jordan’s life force her to reflect on the people who shaped it, people she knows will not always be around. At one point, in response to a friend’s question about death, she offers a theory that’s a lovely variation on that old faithful, the circle of life. Maybe that means King has a new favorite shape?

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Heart the Lover

By: Lily King.

Publisher: Grove Atlantic, 249 pages.

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