Taking a break from Giving Plot to the Plotless to write a review of a book I just read :)
At this point, I might be the last person on earth to read
Rainbow Rowell’s FANGIRL. Or at least the last person on my twitter feed. Which
is kind of like the world. But I’m actually kind of glad I waited to read it.
If I had read FANGIRL this summer or before then, it wouldn’t be as personal to
me as it is now.
As I write this, I’m a few days away from the end of the
winter break of my first year at college. So, right on level with Cath halfway
through the book. I get Cath. A lot. Even though my social anxieties are not as
prevalent as hers, I’m an introverted girl with a tendency to avoid social
situations with strangers. And I most often retreat to my writing when I need
to be alone. College was a potentially disastrous situation for me. College was
a potentially disastrous situation for Cath too, and almost was. But watching
her struggle through the mire of unfamiliar social situations in a scary new
place, while dealing with problems at home, was kind of inspiring.
That’s not to say I didn’t get frustrated with Cath. I did
sometimes. But it’s not because I thought she was being unjustified or stupid.
I just saw her making mistakes I’d been tempted to make or HAD made in the
past. It was a good kind of frustrated. The kind of frustrated that made me
want to see the character succeed even more. And I got frustrated with ALL of
the characters at one time or another. At Wren for barreling down a road to
alcoholism without much of a thought. At their mom for being so terribly impersonal
and selfish. At Nick for thinking only of himself and his success. At Levi for…
okay I never really got frustrated with Levi. I love Levi. Where the heck is my
Levi? I want one too!
The point is, all of the characters are frustrating but
relatable. It’s easy to see where all of them come from. You can see their
perspective. You can see the reason for their actions. Because they are HUMAN
beings. Not role models. Not plastic, perfect characters. Human beings who make
mistakes like we all do.
I also appreciate the nods to fanfiction culture. Because I
was—and still am—very much involved in fanfiction though I’ve dropped off the
map a bit. In fact I went through Cath’s dilemma of not being able to write and
finish anything original. Except for in my 8th grade through 10th
grade years. I was younger and fighting to finish a novel but I couldn’t. The
first stuff I finished was on my fanfiction profile. Heck, I finished a
fanfiction trilogy before I finished
my first novel because I just… had a greater passion for the characters and
plot. I hadn’t discovered the joy of creating a world that held my attention
for 90,000 words of writing. I fortunately, like Cath, was able to find my muse
and I’ve been able to finish several books now.
But I still have a love for fanfiction. I will defend the
culture and merit of fanfiction writing until the day I die because I think it
helped me hone and vastly improve my writing skills over the years. Some say
you have to write a million words before you become a great writer. I don’t
know if I believe that, but I wrote 800,000 words alone on fanfiction. So by
god if I’m going to discount its value. All I have to do is read the stuff I
wrote in middle school and the stuff I’m writing now to see the difference.
Of course, defending the merits of fanfiction is for another
time. I adore this book. I love the prose, the exploration of fanfiction
culture, the non-antagonistic acknowledgement of social anxieties, the human characters,
the romance, everything about Levi, and every little detail in between. Go buy
it and if you have an introverted college student in the family who sounds like
a fangirl or fanboy, recommend this to them.
But let’s face it. Since I’m the last person in the world/
my twitter feed to read this book… you probably already have.
