Quarter 1 SSR

This past quarter, the book I read for SSR was Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, a fictional literary work comprising  445 pages.  This novel comes from the perspective of Cather “Cath” Avery, a college freshman with an affinity for writing.  She particularly invests much of her time in writing fanfiction about her favorite book series—Simon Snow—which, to a certain degree, appears to mimic the Harry Potter series.  Fangirl itself essentially recounts Cath’s first year of college,

and the first obstacle she must surpass in this new setting is that her more independent  twin , Wren, would rather dorm with someone other than her sister.  Introverted and generally anxious, Cath must learn to fend for herself in this unfamiliar environment, at the same time making attempts to resist the changes that accompany adulthood.  Cath clings dearly to what remains of her childhood, her writing of fanfiction perhaps being the clearest example of this statement, as she and Wren had written works of such a genre since childhood, the Simon Snow series influencing the two of them for much of their lives.  Alongside struggles concerning her sister, Cath must also learn how to act in more social settings, this even leading to a romance that defines the later portions of this novel.  At the same time, she is tasked with learning to accept the actions of her biological mother, this woman having left Cath and the remainder of her immediate family when both she and Wren were at quite a young age.

Though admitably not even close to being one of my favorite books, I did enjoy Fangirl.  I found Cath to be rather relatable, not only in her socially awkward tendencies, but also in her efforts to somewhat resist change as she matured.  I felt I understood her fears about life in general, even if they were a bit irrational at times.  Most people could probably relate to Cath as well in regard to how she responds to significant instances of change in her life.  Many of the plot points, though, were fairly predictable, and at times, the story seemed to move perhaps a bit too quickly, particularly near the ending of the novel.  Nonetheless, Cath does come to undergo a fairly significant change in the novel; in the end, she's become a more social person, as well as one more independent from her sister, having found a place she feels she belongs in life.

However, the main reason I chose this book to read for SSR was because it was a book I'd started at some point in ninth grade, and I'd never actually finished reading it.  That being said, even though the novel doesn't interest me now as much as it did then, I would recommend this book to those interested in a coming-of-age story, this work particularly directed at a young-adult audience.