Lips Touch: Three Times is a collection of three short stories that have to do with fairy tale yearnings and teenage girls, so of course love is a huge preoccupation. All of the characters are dealing with the perils of falling in love. This can be a beautiful, precious thing, but it can also be pretty stinking ugly at times. Kizzy in "Goblin Fruit" is seeking her first kiss, Anamique in "Spicy Little Curses Such As These" desperately wants to proclaim her love to a handsome soldier, and Esmé in "Hatchling" is haunted by memories of a stranger's kiss. Romance is all over the place in this book.
Questions About Love
- Do you think that Kizzy has really fallen in love with the attractive new boy at school, or is it just infatuation? Explain your reasoning by turning to the text.
- Why do you think James is so insistent that Anamique tell him that she loves him aloud?
- How has love changed Mihai? How is he different from the other Druj? Be specific.
Chew on This
Estella and Anamique both become Ambassadors to Hell because they're willing to do anything for love, including pass through the Fire. They aren't afraid of death because they have true love to keep them going.
The Druj believe that they are superior to humans because they are immortal and lack souls, but it is precisely the absence of a soul—and the ability to feel emotions like love—that puts them at a disadvantage.