2019 EDIT: Lowering my original rating. As time goes on I find I can't ignore 'Fangirl''s numerous problems, which I've listed even in my old review; such as the severe lack of diversity, and the awful, absent mother (like YA needs any more terrible mothers, to the point where any that are at least decent are an endangered species). I still remember enjoying it, which is odd considering that now I barely remember much that happens in it. I think that is a sign that I should finally let it go. Cuteness can't hide everything. And yeah, I've read much better books now, and my expectations on quality have risen in recent years.
Nostalgic fondness aside, I think I've outgrown 'Fangirl'. I'm no longer a fan. Fare thee well, Cath and Wren.
Original review:
'... I'll read more and more and find that special 5-star quality book I've been starved of for months. You know that feeling you get after reading a great, awe-inspiring and wonderful book? I miss that...'
Have my prayers been answered? Barely a week after I posted this update on Goodreads and on my blog, I rated two books five stars. I'm on a roll! I can believe that books - classic and contemporary - are a thing of beauty again!
'Fangirl' - I love you. You are so absurdly adorable with your fandom interpretation and the meaning behind fan fiction and why people write it. With your coming-of-age tale about a girl, Cather "Cath" Avery, who's beginning her adult life - when in all her childhood and teen years she's been escaping into fantasy reading and online fan forums as a clutch to avoid feeling the effects of a traumatic incident in her family. With your fan fiction and "novel" extracts before the beginning of each chapter, which reflect on how Cath's own life and relationships with others will play out (such as on the theme of betrayal). And with your unbelievably believable, fleshed-out characters. Reading the stark personalities of Levi, Reagan and Cath's dad Art was all at once bittersweet and a joy.
'Fangirl' - you are so damn cute I want to hug you to infinity and beyond.
However, like everything in life, you do have problems. Minor issues really, and maybe it's just me, but I'll list them anyway, and get them out of the way quickly (Not-very-good university tutor mode coming on now):
1. Even if you are aware that you are repeating phrases, reading about Levi brushing his hair back with his hands/fingers and about his millions of smiles did get tiresome after a bit. Same with Cath and Wren constantly rolling their eyes over the slightest thing. Over-usage of the same romantic prose and words ("just" springs to mind) are what put me off romance novels in general. 'Fangirl' , you are very creative, just not so much in the language department.
2. Is there a thing now in YA where the protagonist's mother is not only absent or uninvolved, but is a terrible and selfish person who deliberately abandons her children at the worst possible time? 'My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece' comes to mind. Though this device did help me to understand more of Cath's pain and confusion over a reality she doesn't wish to go back to.
3. 'Harry Potter' exists in the same universe as 'Fangirl' (as shown in one line of Levi's). And yet the clear rip-off series, 'Simon Snow' - about an eleven-year-old orphan boy sent to a magic school and makes friends and deadly enemies - seemingly has the most recognition and success. The first 'Harry Potter' book was published in 1997; 'Simon Snow' in 2001. It is specifically stated in 'Fangirl' that 'Simon Snow' is a global phenomenon, in both the literary and film industries (and, of course, in fandom). Professor Piper - a university professor - mentions that not everyone can write like the author of the 'Simon Snow' series, Gemma T. Leslie. This is meant in the highest praise. She even calls GTL "the most successful author of the modern age" (page 276 of my copy). I do wonder about what kind of world 'Fangirl' is set in. There is - if not a lawsuit - at least no debate over how similar 'Simon Snow' is to 'Harry Potter'. This could be considered parody, but there is no indication of that (and for this reason I didn't really care for the 'Simon' novel extracts in the story. But Cath's Simon/Baz Draco-in-Leather-Pants slash-fics are very nice and well-written). Though I guess there have been plenty of other franchises that were "inspired" by 'Harry Potter' and no lawsuit was made then =cough=MortalInstruments=cough=.
4. The lack of diversity I feel I should also mention. Everyone is white, and the one gay character is referred to only in a single chapter, and we are never actually introduced to him. True, Cath writes slash in her 'Simon Snow' fan fics - very decently I might add - but the fictional people in this book's universe are just that, fictional (in a story within a story), and they are only gay in non-canon. So I don't think they count as diverse, LGBT characters.
5. Levi once says he only occasionally washes his lank hair. Considering that he works at Starbucks, a food service cafe where hygiene is absolutely paramount, I find this hard to believe.
But you know what? These things can't ruin the ecstatic delight I felt when reading 'Fangirl'.
I love the fandom analysis aspect of this novel. Its message is that it's okay to get lost in fictional worlds and the characters inhabiting it, but be aware that there are all kinds of experiences to discover in the real world as well. Don't go so far as to avoid responsibilities and your insecurities. Cath Avery wants to avoid meeting new people when starting university, and the ones she reluctantly talks to can't understand her fixation on a pop culture icon - it's weird, kid's stuff to them. Her 'Simon Snow' fan fiction world, uni struggles, family and love life mix and come together in a cute package that is 'Fangirl', which is Cath's story.
And that's the great thing about it. Because not only is 'Fangirl' the first book I've read that understands the impact of fandom and how it brings people together, it also never forgets that its protagonist has a real life to deal with as well, with its own magic and pain.
At the start of the story, Cath is drifting apart from her once-close twin sister Wren. Her backstory is that her mother abandoned her, which coincided with 'Simon Snow' first taking off, and so began her escape from reality. She also constantly worries about home; about her father, who has bipolar disorder (never said, but his symptoms do reflect this).
At one point there is this heartbreaking scene, taking place in flashback:
'"I'm like him (Dad)," she'd whispered.
"You're not," Wren said.
"I am. I'm crazy like him." She was already having panic attacks. She was already hiding at parties...
"It's probably going to get worse in a few years. That's when it usually kicks in."
"You're not," Wren said.
"But what if I am?"
"Decide not to be."
"That's not how it works," Cath argued.
"Nobody knows how it works."
"What if I don't see it coming?"
"I'll see it coming."
Cath tried to stop crying, but she'd been crying so long, the crying had taken over, making her breathe in harsh sniffs and jerks.
"If it tries to take you," Wren said, "I won't let go."' - page 239-240 of my copy.
And on the same page:
'Their dad was home by then. And better. And Cath didn't feel, for the moment, like her DNA was a trap ready to snap closed on her' - page 240.
Slight typo aside, I love this scene. A sister desperately trying to comfort her beloved sibling, never letting go. That is, until university life takes over and Wren wants to meet new people and experience new things without having to worry about her dad, unlike Cath who still prefers to be a shut-in with her laptop and fan fiction.
This really struck a cord with me on a personal level. While I've never written any fan fiction myself, I've once read loads on Fanfiction.net, marveling at people's dedication to write down their own scenarios and interpretations of characters that already exist. There were definitely times in my young life where I preferred to make up stories in my head instead of admitting to and taking action against real problems. So I could relate to Cath and her situation very much.
I could especially relate to this:
'Cath couldn't control whether she saw Levi on campus. But she could worry about it, and as long as she was worrying about it, it probably wasn't going to happen. Like some sort of anxiety vaccine. Like watching a pot to make sure it never boiled.' - page 280.
Welcome to university!
Another favourite passage of mine:
'The professor leaned forward. "But there's nothing more profound than creating something out of nothing." Her lovely face turned fierce. "Think about it, Cath. That's what makes a god - or a mother. There's nothing more intoxicating than creating something from nothing. Creating something from yourself."' - page 275.
This. This is how I feel when I imagine and write down my own creations. And so 'Fangirl' could be a great teaching guide and confidence booster to get writers to write.
To conclude, 'Fangirl' is an adorably adorkable read, especially for those who love to look into pop culture like I do. But there is sadness to be found as well. And plenty of F-bombs and explicit details about sex also drop in (the main characters are of college-age, after all), so be warned, this cute book is not for children.
Topped off with multi-dimensional characters and plot points that intersect and reach a satisfying conclusion (in my opinion, anyway), 'Fangirl' is deserving of my five-star rating. Even the romance, which takes up most of the novel's second half over the fiction-writing and family subplots, is tolerable. It's highly unconventional for YA, and a sweet and realistic representation of a sheltered person's first (and, hopefully, only) love.
In my final score, however, 'Fangirl' loses .5 of a mark due to the few problems I had with it. But I'll treasure this forever, like all my pop culture obsessions I still won't grow out of. Both reality and fiction offer fun and unpredictable experiences in every way imaginable. Like the closure of a favourite book series, nothing has to truly end as long as people keep loving and cherishing it.
So yeah, consider me a fan of 'Fangirl'.
Final Score: 4.5/5
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