TLP Reads: Fangirl

Another break from blogging about my discoveries here in Phnom Penh. This time, my adventure whilst reading Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I picked this one up while at the Changi Airport in Singapore during my six hour layover from Philippines to Phnom Penh. 

Fair warning: this is a lengthy, wordy post. Apologies.

Fangirl is a story depicting a timid yet talented writer's struggles as she transitions from an innocent high-schooler to a bold university freshmen. 

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The main character, Cath, has lived her whole life in the shadow of her identical twin sister Wren, who wants nothing more than to be free and experience a life without Cath constantly following her around. Where better than university where you can meet boys, party and 'find yourself'? However Cath has other plans, preferring to lock herself up in her dorm room, which she shares with a complete stranger, and write fanfiction about her beloved Simon and Baz. But as life unfolds and she meets new people, Cath is forced to decide whether to open herself up to new experiences (perhaps, love?) or to continue living in the shell she's been hiding in all her life.

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It's been quite a while since I've read a coming-of-age book as this, and I'm really glad I picked this one up. It was a really great breather, what with my tendency to pick up fantasy novels. The situations that Cath is thrown into rings true to life - family issues, university difficulties, social anxiety and first love. Who hasn't gone through any of these? And the way that she reacts to each of them is not far from how people would try to deal. There's definitely a lot of twists and turns that keep you reading on to the last page.

The thing I really liked the most about Fangirl was how Rowell touched upon fanfiction and its dedicated writers - people of all ages who want nothing more than to write the what-ifs, spin-offs and keep the spirit of their respective fan bases alive. I'm not going to lie, I've read quite a number of fanfiction but have never ventured into writing one myself. Kudos to those who have - I definitely admire your creativity and dedication to the art of fanfiction.

Note: The Simon Snow series depicted in Fangirl seemed so real I thought it existed in real life. Google however, told me that it wasn't. Apparently, it's a fictional fantasy series meant to symbolise all the actual series that people have gotten crazy over. Think Harry Potter, Twilight, the Vampire Diaries, the Hunger Games.

Another great element of this book is the concept of family. Cath and Wren's father Arthur plays a huge role in this novel, and the bond between the three is very admirable. I don't want to spoil anything as the whole theme of family is pretty central to the book, but let's just say that the parts with Arthur (or all three of the family members) had me tearing up and wanting to hug my parents.

(Yes, I'm cheesy and sentimental at times. Don't judge.)

Now, to say I loved the characters is a bit of an understatement.

Cath goes by the alias Magicath in her stories about the Simon Snow series, and she's definitely loved by her fans in the world of fanfiction. It's really funny, and perhaps an accurate portrayal, how obsessed Cath is with the series - she's constantly thinking about the characters and the situations from the books. So much so that it can get her into trouble at times and garner strange looks. But she couldn't care less what other people think.

Cath is definitely someone who some teenagers can relate to - she has an idea of who she is as a person, but struggles to defend it. Which is why she is so likeable. Granted, there were a few times I was a tad bit frustrated with Cath, but those were mainly due to me having had experience in the same problems and now knowing how to not deal with them. But most of the time, I couldn't help but laugh, tear up and smile along with Cath. 

Her twin sister Wren however, well, sometimes she had me wanting to tear her hair out and knock some sense into her. Nonetheless, she is a great presentation of the other end of the spectrum of university freshmen - the party goers who can sometimes take it too far. The complete opposite to Cath. And yet I can't help but love her despite not being able to relate to her character. There's just something about Wren.

And of course, I can't not mention the characters of Reagan and Levi who I love immensely. Reagan is Cath's upperclassman roommate who starts off distant but later on becomes someone Cath can turn to. She's a tough chick who knows what she's doing. And Levi... how I would yearn to have my own Levi. Charming, lanky and goofy. His optimism and happy-go-lucky attitude is so infectious through the pages of the book you can't help but love AND be a tad annoyed of him. 

Here's a little sneak peek of one of my favourite parts in the book. Yes, I'm a sucker for these kind of moments. 

 I will be very honest and say that I definitely connected with this book in a way I didn't think I would. Not to sound cliche here, but I could definitely identify with Cath - in terms of her struggle to break away from all things familiar, her tendency to be alone and her apprehensiveness to open up. I went through all those things when I moved to Ottawa for university so I can't help but be a little biased in this review. It was almost like reliving my freshmen experience. But anyone who reads Fangirl will definitely admire Cath's decisions and perhaps be even a little proud of her accomplishments. 

I would definitely suggest this for any teen looking for a good coming-of-age book. Sure, there may be some who'll roll their eyes and scoff at Cath's apprehensiveness but the transition from high school to university is a big one, and Fangirl does a great job presenting one of the possible, realistic directions it can take.

The last page of Fangirl has this little comic strip of one of the scenarios Cath finds herself in, which is just too cute!

Check it out if you ever have the time. Fangirl is a great, light read from start to finish.

Happy discovering!