Book Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

I just want to start off by saying, how gosh darn cute is that cover? Not that I'm too surprised by it, especially after reading Rainbow Rowell's "Eleanor & Park", which was ridiculously cute. And I don't mean 'cute' in the belittling, patronizing way. Oh no. What I love about Ms. Rowell's books is that sure, they're cute, but they have a darker undertone in them, one that tells her readers about the unpleasant realities in life. And that's what life is: at times, it can be gushingly cute, and in others, it can be a real slap in the face. "Fangirl" was released just last month, and of course I had to get my grubby hands on it. And when I did, I found myself sucked into yet another fantastic story about real, human life.

Cath is sure of three things in life. First, she doesn't know what she'd do without her twin, Wren. Second, starting college stinks. And third, she is irrevocably, undeniably a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her entire life--and she's really good at it. In fact, her Simon Snow fan fiction has won her a more than a few fans of her own. But when the time to start freshman year in college hits, and Wren begins to move away from fandom, Cath finds herself entirely on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. With only her laptop as her sole constant companion, Cath needs to face huge changes ahead. The question is, can she do it? Is she ready to start her own life, write her own stories? And does she even want to, if it means having to leave Simon Snow behind?

I think I can confidently say now that I love Ms. Rowell's characters. They're not perfect--not even close. They can be awkward, self-conscious, not the prettiest person on the street... you get the picture. But this is precisely what makes them so undeniably real. You could probably tell this already from the synopsis, but Cath is most definitely not the perfect girl. She prefers the fiction world to the real world, and finds a lot of difficulty in adjusting to changes. And in this, I found a little bit of myself in it! Having started my own freshman year in college, I was really able to relate to what Cath was going through. Finding your niche, homesickness, settling into a completely different lifestyle--these were all things I'd experienced, and still am! It's this moment of connection between a character and yourself, when you go, "Hey, she's a little like me!", that you truly begin to relate and become invested in. You can even begin to learn from Cath's story and become inspired to do something in your own life--just like how I got a little kick in the butt to get writing, just like how Cath was. There's just something almost magical about these kinds of deep connections with a character in a book, and for that alone, I'm actually grateful to Ms. Rowell--and Cath!

The rest of the characters in "Fangirl" are just as equally as amazing, I don't even know where to start! Wren is the perfect complement to Cath. Sure, they're twins, but Wren's always been the more outgoing, confident one in the pair. When she begins to put herself out there more in college, she becomes a great foil for Cath, and it's intriguing and heartbreaking all at once to see how their relationship changes throughout the course of the novel. You also have Reagan, Cath's surly roommate who oozes sexuality and a devil-may-care attitude, and I loved seeing their friendship/roommateship develop as well. Then there's Cath and Wren's dad, who's loving but fragile after their mom left them. It is so sweet to read about the bond between Cath and her dad, how the filial dynamics aren't quite what we're used to seeing in our own lives or even in other books. They're protective of each other, and it just makes me miss my own parents more (dammit, Ms. Rowell!). There's also Nick, Cath's writing partner in her Fiction-Writing class. And then, of course, you have Levi, Reagan's charming, perpetually-smiling boyfriend who's always hanging out in their room. Lemme just say that this is one amazing cast of characters--one you'll fall in love with and shake your head at and laugh with, all at once.

Ms. Rowell has done a wonderful job in creating a great storyline that remains compelling and exciting throughout, even if there are no blood-pumping action scenes or anything of that sort. Everything is so fluid and smooth, it's like you're just there with Cath the entire time as the story progresses, no bumps that jerk you out of the story. I think this is a really important aspect of any realistic fiction, this fine balance between boring and unbelievable, and Ms. Rowell is awesome at keeping her readers engaged. I did feel like some parts, especially toward the middle, were a little dragged on, but it never did so to the extent that I got bored. I also love, love, love the way the chapters of the novel alternated with little excerpts from Simon Snow books or Cath's writing--they tie in together in such subtle ways and enhance the novel as a whole! Not to mention that ending. Just, wow. It floored me.

All in all, "Fangirl" is a fantastic coming-of-age novel that you have to go pick up at a bookstore now. With an incredibly relatable protagonist, a dynamic and exciting cast of characters, and some amazing storytelling, it's a read that's not to be missed.

Rating: 5/5

Book Review: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Wow. I just finished reading this book and was just hit by a barrage of so many emotions. Just, wow. In the last few chapters alone, I cried, smiled and was filled with the kind of small, budding hope that comes in the aftermath of something sad. I picked up "Eleanor & Park" after seeing it on the recommended books section on Amazon, guessing that it was of a similar genre to Jennifer E. Smith's books, which are my new summer obsessions. And with a name like Rainbow Rowell, I knew I was in for something special.

No one forgets their first love. When Park reluctantly shares his seat on the bus with the eccentrically dressed new girl, he never, ever suspects that he'd end up falling in love with her, quirks and all. Eleanor, with her untamable red hair and slightly-larger-than-average size, quickly finds herself the brunt of cruel jokes and sneers. Even after school, she returns to a home with an abusive stepfather, a cowering mother, and four younger siblings she has to take care of. The two star-crossed misfits are smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts--but they're brave and desperate enough to try.

What's clear from the start is just how young Eleanor and Park are. Yeah, I know I'm just a teenager myself, but the innocence that you see in the two protagonists are unmistakably there--and it's what makes their story so endearing. Throughout the story, Park clings onto the belief that love, even when it's happening in tenth grade, can be true and lasting. But what Ms. Rowell does extremely well in the face of such seeming naivete is transform it into something beautiful, something hopeful. And she does this by reminding those of us who have had our first love that that's exactly how we felt. Take, for example:

Eleanor made him feel like something was happening. Even when they were just sitting on the couch.

This line struck me right in the heart. Because that's what being with your first love is like: the familiarity, the comfort, like you're sharing something with one another even if you're not expressly doing anything. The way Ms. Rowell evokes these emotions and empathy transcends the novel past a typical high school love story. Instead, it's the truth, sweet and simple as that.

Eleanor and Park themselves are such interesting characters to read about as the story progresses. Eleanor is, without a doubt, quirky and different, wearing sharkskin suits and neckties around her ponytail. But even if you don't wear men's clothes or do anything eccentric like that, you can still relate to Eleanor because she's deals with pretty normal issues that other people have to deal with in their lives, like being bullied or having family problems. Yet she still maintains her cynical wit and, despite everything, an innocence that can't be taken away from her, something which grows when she falls in love for the first time. For Eleanor, her love with Park gave her hope and strength that kept her from falling apart in the face of these issues. For Park, on the other hand, his love with Eleanor gave him the opportunity to grow and really find himself. As the story progresses, Park becomes a much more active and dynamic character, someone who isn't afraid to wear eyeliner or kick a guy in the face for bullying his girlfriend. Through Eleanor and Park, Ms. Rowell reminds her readers just how big of a role our first loves play in our lives, unforgettably and irrevocably.

"Eleanor & Park" is also beautifully written, allowing Ms. Rowell to convey subtle nuances and messages in the most poignant of ways. This is especially important, I think, in realistic fiction novels, since there isn't much heart-racing battle scenes or out-of-this-world magical powers to get the story moving. Instead, the author has to work mostly with two things: her characters and her language. There's nothing flowery about Ms. Rowell's prose. Rather, it's simple and to the point, and that's what makes it so striking. There's quite a bit of parallel structures used in the writing, which helps to really drive the point home. The same effect is achieved through her use of short, simple sentences. One of my favourite lines was:

I'm yours. The me that's me right now is yours. Always.

Wow, I just got tingles just from copying that down. How true is that? "The me that's me right now". Wow. I said 'wow' a lot in this review, didn't I?

All in all, Ms. Rainbow Rowell's "Eleanor & Park" is a smart, poignant story about first love, with two endearing protagonists, simple, evocative writing, and the central message that there is always hope.

Rating: 4.5/5