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A review by nickscoby
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld
5.0
Let me get the things that I don't like out of the way first: 1) Martha is not a fully developed character. We don't really know much about her inner workings and she seems more like a Mary Sue roommate than a fully formed person. (How cool would it have been if she was a Tyler Durden character? Alas) 2) Sittenfeld over-writes. I mean, some of these sentences are just over-done with writer's flourishes and aren't all that necessary.
But these are minor quibbles. Overall, I think this novel is positively fascinating. Not much happens, although I kept expecting a major death or plot twist. Nope. We mostly sit with the reflective musings of a flawed major character who, at least in high school, suffered from social anxiety and also had low self-esteem. She is not particularly admirable or even likable at times. The novel's gift is how well it details the complexities of social class in the U.S. And race--particularly blackness--is handled in a nuanced way, as well.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading Prep, but I am blown away by what I found here. I really hope that it is NOT made it into a tv show or movie because I fear that the major themes would be watered down and, ultimately, not as impactful.
But these are minor quibbles. Overall, I think this novel is positively fascinating. Not much happens, although I kept expecting a major death or plot twist. Nope. We mostly sit with the reflective musings of a flawed major character who, at least in high school, suffered from social anxiety and also had low self-esteem. She is not particularly admirable or even likable at times. The novel's gift is how well it details the complexities of social class in the U.S. And race--particularly blackness--is handled in a nuanced way, as well.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading Prep, but I am blown away by what I found here. I really hope that it is NOT made it into a tv show or movie because I fear that the major themes would be watered down and, ultimately, not as impactful.