Wendy Perkins, an associate professor of English at Prince George's Community College in Maryland, has published articles on several twentieth- century authors. In this essay she examines how the imaginative plot structure of The Law of Love reinforces the novel's main theme.

Reviews of Laura Esquivel's second novel, The Law of Love, were mixed when it was published in 1996. Robert Houston argues in the New York Times Book Review that the novel is "confusing, tediously plotted, marred by muddy philosophy and dubious verities" and "strains far too hard to achieve its effects." However, Donna Seaman in Booklist admits that while the novel "gets off to a rocky start. . .[in its] sloppy opening sequence" and "gimmicky 'multimedia' presentation, Esquivel gets her bearings, and her narrative coalesces into a highly amusing mix of mysticism, science fiction, and her own brand of earthy and ironic humor." While The Law of...