A review by adam_armstrong_yu
And We're Off by Dana Schwartz

4.0

After following Dana Schwartz on her hilarious parody Twitter account, GuyinYourMFA, of course I had to inhale her debut novel as fast as possible. And I'm really freaking glad I did. This story follows a turbulent summer in the life of Nora, a 17 year old budding artist, who's just trying to enjoy an all expenses paid European trip, hone her talent and skills at a prestigious artists retreat, find herself, get over a boy, all the while dealing with the fact that her mother has unexpectedly tagged along. The reader becomes so invested in the distance between mothers and daughters, that gray area between knowing and not knowing who both of you are, or who you think that person may be. The story focuses itself over the plight artists of all forms have: wondering if you're talented, and, perhaps more importantly, if the talent you do have is even enough. It's about questioning whether you've suffered enough to be an artist, and striking out on your own path, even if other people need you or if you need other people, for the chance to be self-sufficient. This story, which is full of hilarious dialogue that pings off one character to the next, stakes the claim that it's okay to be content in where you're supposed to be, doing what you're supposed to be doing, but not necessarily liking it.