Summary: A coming-of-age tale of fanfiction, family, and first love.
MY THOUGHTS:
Some anonymous donor dropped this novel off into our Little Free Book Library, and I considered it very timely, for I meant to read it someday. I know this book has been doing the rounds for years and since it found its way to me, I've got onto it at last.
The heroine is an introverted 18-year-old named Cath, who has a thriving fanfic following incognito. Her writing revolves around the Simon Snow series, a global phenomenon about an 11-year-student who attends a school of magick. (Yep, of course it's a thinly disguised replica of Harry Potter.)
Meanwhile Cath's real life is fraught with difficulties. Her identical twin, Wren, is all for extroverting, drinking, and partying. Their single dad, Arthur, is a workaholic in the creative field of advertising, ever on the verge of breakdown, and their mother, Laura, who left when the girls were eight, is extending feelers after a decade of absence. Cath's roommate, Reagan, is a super-cool chick, and Reagan's best friend, Levi, is an effervescent soul who takes an interest in Cath, which is disconcerting. On top of all this is actual course work too.
The most abrasive character for me is Professor Piper, the popular teacher who gives Cath an 'F' on a fiction writing assignment because it's fanfic. The professor is horrified for all the conventional reasons. Because Cath has adopted another author's created world and characters, Piper considers it plagiarism and theft of creative property.
Her reasoning strikes me as somewhat shallow and reactive. The HUGE popularity of this style of writing alone fails to convince the Prof Pipers of the world that fanfic is a powerful tool for promoting positive social change. When well-beloved stories of our culture are tweaked to offer fresh insights, the resulting works of literature sometimes pack a greater punch than brand new material ever possibly could. It has been done in various forms for centuries. But even when Cath likens it to repurposing and recycling, Professor Piper won't budge from her fixed point of view.
Perhaps I'm negatively biased because this character has stepped on my toes, but as well as her narrow-mindedness, I find Piper's attitude of favoritism makes me gag. Every other student in the class must twig that Cath, despite her dwindling enthusiasm for the subject, is the teacher's pet. What Professor Piper is willing to do for one, such as extending deadlines unsought, she ought to do for every single student. So this professor has become one of those occasional characters who I don't like even though the author intends us to.
The ending is somewhat disappointing. The story simply sputters to a stop. Several threads we're invested in are left dangling. However, I suppose the fact that I wanted them to go on, having plowed through almost 450 pages already, proves the compelling nature of Rowell's writing.
Overall, I enjoyed Fangirl. The characterization and dialogue are great, and the premise of a quiet and awkward young student who's secretly building a massive fanfic following is a winner for me. To quote Cath, 'I'd rather pour myself into a world I love and understand than try to make something up out of nothing.' It's a totally valid stance and I find it almost a shame that she finally caves in to pressure to write an original story. (Mild spoiler - the fact that Cath wins a prestigious prize for it after cranking it out so grudgingly makes me feel sad for other students who pour everything into their own efforts.)
There is a sequel, or rather a companion novel to this one, entitled Carry On! We readers are to take it as the actual fan-fiction written by Cath throughout this novel, which sets my brain spinning. We are essentially being offered a fanfic by a fictional character about a non-existent book series. Even though there is no such thing as the original Simon Snow series by Gemma T Leslie, that hasn't stopped thousands of readers willing to read fanfic about it. Am I weird in preferring to stick to fanfics which are at least based on some existing material we can compare it with?
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Note: If you'd like to explore my fanfiction page, including those I've read and those I've written, start here.