Everything Must Go | Jenny Fran Davis
“So this is where we begin: me, naked and in love in the bathtub, like many a tragic protagonist before me.”
A book bought on a whim, because it was cheap and had a pretty cover. Full disclosure, I expected this to be boring - a typical high school drama, but still something breezy to read. I was wrong, at least on one of these. :)
This novel is told through letters, emails, diary entries, various documents and other ephemera. This makes it easy to read and, might I say, even more interesting. This allows the reader to follow along instead of being told what is happening / has happened. I truly enjoyed this format and it was a welcome break from reading traditionally-written novels.
“What is life if we can't forgive people after we note the way they've messed up?”
This could be considered a Bildungsroman, I suppose. Our main character, Flora Goldwasser, does go through a transformation that changes her outlook on life. She is a New Yorker who goes to a private all-girls boarding school, where she meets - and falls in love with - an older guy. Meet Elijah Huck, a Columbia student who becomes her History tutor among other things. Her love of vintage clothing inspires him to photograph her on New York streets and launch his Miss Tulip blog. As this project grows so does the interest in the teenage girl who loves 50's fashion. But her anonymity is guaranteed.
Flora becomes so smitten with Elijah that she decides to change schools just so she could see him again. This leads us to the Quare Academy, an unorthodox school that offers a unique academic experience. Upon arriving, Flora is so out of depth, that she frequently writes to her sister and her friends back in NY, who always offer to bail her out. Still, she perseveres in hopes of meeting Elijah again.
“Because what happens if you consent, nut sex still feels like an economic exchange where you're selling parts of yourself in order to get somebody else's love or approval?”
But when it becomes more and more obvious that he is not really interested, Flora turns to theater. While trying to express her experience through an art project that is tied into a play she is writing for the Quare's theater group, Flora finally begins to socialize with her fellow students. Their empathy and support help her open up and embrace the truly valuable things in life.
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