Synopsis:
Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan.... But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she's really good at it. She and her twin, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when th ey were just kids; it's what got them through their mother leaving.Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fanfiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere. Cath's sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can't let go. She doesn't want to.Now that they're going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn't want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She's got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend; a fiction-writing professor who thinks fanfiction is the end of the civilized world; a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... and she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone.For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?
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Personal Opinion:
Fangirl had been on my to-read list for several years, and now, as I was cleaning up my Goodreads list, I thought: why not? I've heard it recommended over the years, and the cover has become instantly recognizable to me.
It seems the book arrived too late in my life and, combined with other aspects of the story, it just didn’t win me over.
Cath is a girl transitioning into college life along with her twin sister, Wren. She's a huge fan of the "Simon Snow" book series and enrolls in a creative writing class. Along the way, she meets Levi, a guy who frequently visits her roommate and seems to be dating her.
As you can tell, the plot is simple, and at first glance, it seems like it would be an easy, light read you could finish in a couple of days. And while I didn’t take long to get through it, I did feel frustrated at times and had mixed feelings about the protagonist.
Cath has a constant obsession with Simon Snow, and throughout the story, you can see how this affects her directly and indirectly. At one point, I found myself feeling desperate because Cath just couldn’t seem to grasp how the real world works. No matter how many times other characters explained things to her, she insisted on doing things her way.
Eventually, I came to think that Cath might be somewhere on the autism spectrum, and I tried to be more understanding of her. That said, the book never actually mentions this, and it might be more accurate to say Cath suffers from anxiety. I also question that interpretation because when the book was published, there wasn’t as much awareness about autism, but the way the author portrays her does make it seem like a possibility.
That’s why I had a strong internal conflict with the protagonist: on one hand, I was frustrated by the way Cath processed things. Sometimes she’d take things way too lightly, and other times, she’d react way too intensely. In the end, I had to assume that Cath was likely autistic, and the reading experience became easier for me because I tried to be empathetic.
The other “but” I had with the story is Levi. I think the way his character was built hasn’t aged well. Sure, he has that sweet and friendly side. He’s patient with Cath and shows interest in what she loves, but there’s a particular event (about halfway through the book — and you’ll know exactly what I mean when you get there) that strips away all the charm the author had carefully crafted. If we look on the bright side, that small event added some darkness to his character, which removed the “perfect boyfriend” trope, but I think I would’ve preferred something different.
Overall, the book — with all its ups and downs — is perfect for a good chat at a café with a friend, debating how well the story holds up today. That’s exactly what I wanted to do when I finished it: talk/debate with someone about Fangirl. There were several points I felt strongly about and wanted to discuss. And I think that’s actually a good thing about the book — it makes you reflect and confront a character who processes emotions and ideas very differently from you.
Now that I’ve written this all down, I’m actually going to increase my ratingon Goodreads, because I’ve finally figured out how I feel about this book.
Have you read this book?
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