A review by vg2
Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen by Alix Kates Shulman

3.0

The first half of this book was very compelling - a sad, yet not unrealistic, attempt to reconcile a desire to be successful, educated and independent with an ever-creeping need to feel attractive and wanted by others. Our protagonist, Sasha, is intelligent, capable and full of dreams; her era ( the book is set primarily between the 1950s - 1970s, and was published in the 70s), location and formative influences collude to inform her, at every turn, that she cannot fulfil these and have the family she also eventually wants. Her life is divided into two self-and society-imposed sections: ‘before thirty’ and ‘after thirty’ and all her decisions are based around this cut-off. Sasha recognises the ridiculousness of her situation - in many ways, she is fierce and bold in her youth - but struggles to break free from societal norms.

The second half was not quite as strong, particularly the final 30 or so pages - whilst I appreciate how the story reflects Sasha’s mental state and her deflection of her circumstances, it felt too rushed and not as fully explored as I would have liked.

Overall, an enjoyable read, and one that I am not surprised sparked some controversy in the 1970s, despite containing nothing actually controversial today.