Anatomy of a Misfit

Anatomy of a Misfit is one of this fall’s most buzzed about books; of course, when a book is touted as “Mean Girls meets The Perks of Being a Wallflower” it’s easy to see why people might be excited about it. Already, there is talk about a movie adaptation; Sullivan coined this as the “start of the “TFiOS’ effect.”

Anatomy of a Misfit
by Andrea Portes
336 p. HarperTeen. September 2, 2014.
Gr 9 Up

In the book, 15-year-old Anika Dragomir, the third most popular girl in school, struggles to accept the “spider stew” of her true self which is in opposition to her precarious social rank.  Anika knows her friend Becky Vilhauer, the most popular girl in school, is a bully, yet she tolerates her cruelties to avoid destroying her own social persona.  Her secret relationship with nerd turned hottie, Logan McDonough, complicates things even further, especially when Anika begins to get glimpses of his troubling home life.  It is not until the bad boy everyone wants to date, Jared Kline, flatters Anika into a date that she realizes her true feelings for Logan.

The Feels

When I started the book, I was immediately charmed by Anika’s insightful, snarky, and refreshing narration.  For 300 pages, I was laughing out loud until the end when the book ripped my heart out, and then I may or may not have been vocally and embarrassingly crying when the emotional punch of a conclusion hit me.

Anika’s self-deprecating narration reveals her faults, doubts, and questionable ethics, making her all the more endearing and relatable. Ultimately, her triumph and bravery in the face of devastating and heartbreaking tragedy will have readers cheering.  The novel stands up well against other coming-of-age stories of its kinds and is perfect for lovers of John Green.

Perks of Being a Wallflower

Well, I can’t not talk a little bit about Perks, I already referenced the movie in my first post.  I have to admit, I’m a sucker for a movie tie-in. I have this innate desire to see my favorite characters manifested on big screen, and watching my imagination played out on film seems to make the story even more real to me. Moreover, I maintain that The Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of the best book to movie film adaptations (right up there with Princess Bride).  But I’m getting off track…

The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky
213 p. MTV Books and Pocket Books.  February 1999.
Gr 9 Up

Told through an epistolary narrative, Charlie narrates to an unnamed “friend” the events of his freshman year in high school in 1991-1992.  In the previous school year, Charlie’s best friend committed suicide, and now Charlie finds himself alone, having drifted apart from his old friends.  He soon makes friends with a group of seniors, including Patrick and Samantha.  Through his new friends, Charlies learns about the realities of life.  There is a realness to the story and the characters that is undeniable. Through Charlie’s relationships with his friends, his English teacher, and a therapist, Charlie grows from a wallflower and learns to “participate” more.

The Feels

Charlie is compulsively honest and somehow still strangely detached in his letters.  It’s obvious from the start to the readers that there is something wrong with Charlie, something that he hasn’t and isn’t dealing with it until his inevitable breakdown.  Sam and Patrick are the best.

And as a reader, I’m glad they existed to help Charlie through his freshman year.

The novel is incredibly quotable; just go on to Tumblr and you’ll find quotes scattered all over the place. For example:

• “We accept the love we think we deserve.”
• “So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I’m still trying to figure out how that could be.”
• “I would die for you. But I won’t live for you.”
• “And in that moment, I swear we were infinite.”

Seriously, that’s just a sampling.  Overall, the book runs the same thread of dark and angsty realistic YA fiction about death, depression, drugs, sex, and other such things, and in my opinion, a must-read in the coming-of-age genre.

Some Definitions

Feels

shorthand for the word “feelings,” used to describe an intense emotional response.

I often think we use the term “feels” when we’re overcome with such an intense wave of emotions that we don’t know how to describe or explain what it is exactly we are feeling. Frequently, my friends and I use the term when discussing books, especially contemporary, realistic YA fiction. It’s still the term we use the most when talking about The Fault in Our Stars, and perhaps it is because we are too lazy to say, “I feel pain. I feel awe. I feel sad. And somehow, I also feel happy,” but I also think it’s because we don’t understand what we’re feeling. Sometimes, I think we feel a bit like Charlie, still trying to figure out how we are feeling so many things at the same time, and instead of trying to work it out we just say, “Oh, the feels,” or “I can’t handle the feels” or “So many feels,” because it is easier and people still understand what we are trying to say: “I feel intense emotions that I cannot adequately describe.”

I’m not going to define literary, because I think it is a little more obvious.  Although, I should probably note that I’m not talking about high quality literature or at least not by most people definitions. Rather this blog is devoted to my exploration of emotionally-intense young adult literature. I hope you like crying gifs, because I anticipate a lot of crying and a lot of feels. I just hope my heart can take it.