Ghost World by Daniel Clowes

I was walking through the library to kill time, and started to look in the graphic novel section. I saw the Ghost World movie a year or two ago, and decided the novel might be interesting. It is only 80 pages, so it made for a quick read.

Ghost World focuses on two girls who are past high school and pre-college who do pretty much whatever they please. I would say the ‘main’ character is Enid, who hates all men and pretty much everything else, too. The second character is Rebecca, the blonde on the cover, who sort of keeps Enid’s cynicism in check. They also have a few interesting side characters, like the clerk, John Ellis, their innocent friend Josh, and the creepy astrologer, Bob Skeetes, who comes to Enid’s garage sale for two hours and only buys a ten cent egg beater.

I get a strong cynical vibe from the story… possibly because Enid and Rebecca hate most everything they experience. One of the things they really find fascinating is a couple they see in a diner (Angel’s), whom they refer to as the Satanists. The only real friend the two have is Josh, an almost pure, innocent guy. They argue often over who should have sex with him, because they figure he is a virgin. The exploration of their friendship together and with Josh felt realistic and made the story richer.

I have been doing a project for one of my classes that involves looking at female friendships, and so this book was interesting. The novel looks really closely at what I think is a pretty typical friendship between girls. They like each other, but still worry that everyone likes the other one better. They keep secrets, gossip, contemplate the future, and do everything together.

I enjoyed the novel, partially due to the relatability of Enid and Rebecca — my good friend and I were similar to them in high school. There was a lot of tension in Ghost World, and I think this makes it rise above being a simple graphic novel. However, the characters make the plot hard to enjoy if you can’t appreciate being cynical.

I had to share one quote from the book that I really enjoyed:

“I wish I could just come up with one perfect look and stick with it… Like what if I bought some entire matching 1930′s wardrobe and wore that everyday… The trouble with that is you look really stupid and pretentious if you go a mall or a Taco Bell or something… And you have to act a certain way and drive an old car and everything and it’s a real pain in the ass!” – Enid

Tagline: "Accentuate the negative"

From what I remember of the movie, the story was a lot more awkward because of the focus on the relationship between Enid and Bob Skeetes. Steve Buscemi plays a great Bob, but by playing the character well, the relationship is weird because of both the age difference and the social ineptitude of the characters. I’m a little glad the novel didn’t focus on this relationship… Bob Skeetes, although talked about a lot in the novel, was only shown a few times. This was not the case in the movie, as they created the character Seymour (I assume he takes the place of Bob) who has a major role in Enid’s life.

I will probably watch the film again to see if it kept the real spirit of the book. I think the most important thing was the female friendship, and I know the movie expanded on that at least a little.  Thora Birch (Enid) and Scarlett Johansson (Rebecca) play the parts pretty well, though the two characters’ personalities seemed more likable in the movie compared to the book. Personally, I liked the detachment in the novel compared to the sarcasm in the film. I will admit it made for a funnier story, though.

Overall, both the graphic novel and the film were a pretty interesting slice of life story that I think many people could relate to. I don’t think it hurts to be a little cynical, and this story takes advantage of (and maybe goes a bit past) that idea.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I read this book a year ago on a recommendation from a good friend. I did not know what I was getting into.  It has 213 pages and measures about 7 x 5, which makes for a nice, compact book. It is an epistolary novel, in the form of letters from a person that we’ll call Charlie to a person that we’ll call the reader for lack of a better name, and the narrative fits the story quite well.

If you’re the type of person who likes to watch the movie after reading the book… The Perks of Being a Wallflower film stars Logan Lerman as Charlie and Emma Watson as Sam and will be  released in September of 2012. I will admit I’m excited to see it, because my favorite minor character, Bill, is being played by Paul Rudd, who is one of my favorite actors.

The story focuses on Charlie, a boy of 15 who is going to be in high school soon, which causes him anxiety. He doesn’t have a lot of friends, partly because his best friend recently committed suicide, and the girl that hung out with them has changed a lot to fit into the high school ‘scene.’

Charlie does manage to make a few new friends… Sam and Patrick and a few people they hang out or party with. Charlie is introduced to drinking, drugs, sex, and lots of great music through these friends. He also connects with his AP English teacher, Bill, who recommends many books that help set the tone of the novel, the most obvious being Catcher in the Rye, which I think heavily influenced Perks.

There is so much in this book that feels personal to me that it is a little difficult to review. I thought that perhaps on the second reading, in light of what is revealed in the epilogue, I wouldn’t like the book as much. It surprised me then that I enjoyed it even more than the first time. I find Charlie and the typical teen angst and self-pity he experiences relatable. This is a quiet book, though Charlie learns a lot and manages to grow throughout. It is a great story about going through high school freshman year as a wallflower, which I know I can relate to.

The epistolary style helps break up the novel, and makes the ‘average every day’ high school life seem less routine. It’s a relatively quick read, only in page number though, because the emotional roller coaster I feel when I read this book make it seem so much longer, so much larger a narrative. I only have one problem with the novel, and I can’t really share it because it would be a pretty big spoiler. Overall, though, the story and characters work really well and I would absolutely recommend it. However, note that you should be in the right mind set when you read it… Charlie is truly a self-pity machine, a wallflower, an inactive soul. If you can’t empathize, you might have trouble enjoying his character.

I find that The Perks of Being a Wallflower is really quotable because Charlie has profound thoughts and Chbosky writes them brilliantly simple. While I could throw in dozens of my favorite quotes from the book, I will leave you with just one:

“It’s kind of like when you look at yourself in the mirror and you say your name. And it gets to a point where none of it seems real. Well, sometimes, I can do that, but I don’t need an hour in front of a mirror. It happens very fast, and things start to slip away. And I just open my eyes, and I see nothing. And then I start to breathe really hard trying to see something, but I can’t.” – Charlie

Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

I have seen this movie more times than I can count, all before I read the book. In the beginning, I was tempted to put the book down because it wasn’t what I expected, or, rather, what I wanted. It only got better from there.

The book has three running narratives. My favorite: letters written by Alex, a Ukrainian native who speaks fun, broken English. They are written to Jonathan Safran Foer, a young Jewish man looking for Augustine, the woman who saved his grandfather from the Nazis. This is used as part of the voice-over narrative in the movie. The second narrative is what the majority of the movie covers: Jonathon, Alex, and his grandfather explore Ukraine looking for a small town, Trachimbrod, also called Sofiowka. The third narrative is, at best, lightly touched only in the end of the movie.

Foer's covers are really neat. I love that there is very little white space (and that there are only words).

 If I am taking this correctly, the third part of the narrative is actually a book that Jonathan, the character, is writing, as he is an aspiring writer. It is the story/history of Trachimbrod. It tells of his line of relatives. As the story goes on, it gets much more interesting and understandable. I came to really enjoy this part of the book, although I wasn’t ecstatic about it in the beginning.

The characters are fun and interesting, and I really loved Alex’s grandfather and his seeing-eye-bitch that he needs due to being blind (he is also their driver, which is a fun detail). I loved how Alex’s character changed in the novel, and looking back, I wish the movie talked more about that. You don’t really learn the depth of Alex’s grandfather, in the movie — it is hinted to, but the story in the book goes so much deeper. The film’s characters felt static compared to the same characters in the novel.

Overall, this story is heart-warming and -wrenching. I would highly recommend at least trying it. If you are wary, or have a tough time with the poor English (I know it tripped me up the first time I tried to read it), then watch the film. It is truly excellent, although, as always, the book was better.

Mockingjay

At first, I was POSITIVE I was not going to like this book anywhere near as much as I did the first two. From the mediocre reviews, the hinting suggestions from friends that it just didn’t live up to others, and my own doubts about how Suzanne Collins was going to be able to end the series, let’s just say I was afraid for this book’s safety. I was positive I was going to give it 3 stars, say, “that was decent” and move on. Well…

I will not forget that the cover of The Hunger Games is WHY I got to experience this superb tale.

At first I WAS disappointed. I was disappointed in Katniss. Couldn’t she pick someone and stick with them? I was disappointed in Haymitch. Couldn’t he sober up and help Katniss when she needed it? I was disappointed in the Capitol. Couldn’t they get over their greed for power and realize that so much life was going to be wasted in the coming months? Let’s just say, I was disappointed.

After the original disappointment wore off, what came next was bitterness. I could feel how Katniss had changed since her time in the games. I felt like I understood her — she said something to the effect of not liking anyone that she didn’t have a lifetime to decide about — I felt so similar to her (is that a bad thing?).

Although this book is much more centered on the political rebellion aspect of the world of Panem, I enjoyed it (almost) no less than the other two in the series. There were parts in the first third of the book that felt jumbled to me, a weird mix of long stretches of introspection with sharp bits of action thrown in. It was jarring, to say the least.

I want to say I have not devoured a series as quickly as I did this one (minus the brief break before I got my hands on the other two books– I decided to treat myself on my birthday) in a long, long time. Some may say this book disappoints as a finishing touch to the series. My bitter/angry/desperately sad tears for the last twenty pages beg to differ.

Again, my call is that if you liked The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, you HAVE to read this book. Even if it doesn’t give you the ending you want, you must. I was initially angry about the wild turn of events, but then I realized it was completely realistic and fitting to each characters’ personality. I think Collins knows her characters very well to finish the way she did. I hope you read and enjoy this series as much as I did. It certainly has my stamp of approval.

One of the many amazing posters for the film.

P.S. I cannot wait for the film version of The Hunger Games!

Catching Fire

At first, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this as much as I loved The Hunger Games. I was pleasantly surprised that it moved along at just the same quick pace. This is going to be a short review. There’s not a lot I can say about this book besides the fact that I loved it.

Unfortunately, I moved on so quickly to read Mockingjay that I honestly don’t remember a lot besides basic plot and stuff between Katniss and: Peeta, Gale, and Haymitch. The story moves through Katniss’s Victory Tour around all 12 districts, and she is informed that she must quell the possible rebellions. Knowing her skill with speech, she doesn’t do so hot. This leads into the third Quarter Quell — the 75th Hunger Games. I won’t give anything else away, if you haven’t read it already… get to it!

I really enjoyed this book, it was almost as brilliant as the first. It was a quick read, which brought more tension to the Gale/Peeta decision and deepened my liking for Katniss. It also introduced quite a few new interesting faces that brought many new things to the table.

Although it almost ended too quickly for my enjoyment, I was indeed lucky to have started reading the series so late that Mockingjay was out. I do not know what I would have done if I had to wait to finish this series… Anyway, I would absolutely recommend continuing with the series if you liked The Hunger Games.