The Fast Camel Express: To Lust Or To Love, That is the Question

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February 04

To Lust Or To Love, That is the Question

February 2006 Book of the Month

Be More Chill, by Ned Vizzini

Those who know me, know that, for the most part, I am not a lover of romantic comedies. That's not to say that I don't like romance, I just don't like the way that it is portrayed in most books and movies. I feel that it's often very unrealistic and leads to higher expections, which then leads to extreme disappointment. (Granted, that mostly applies to women!) So when it comes to reading books that emphasize romance, I cringe, I sigh, I roll my eyes, and sometimes, I want to hurl. That's why my book of the month was a choice I felt I could live with in this genre. It's not really all that romantic, but it kinda tries to be. And it is funny in this sarcastic, almost mean-spirited way. Oh, and it's about a guy's experience. For some reason, I believe that telling a romance story from a guy's perspective makes it much more realistic and easier to swallow.

Jeremy Heere is an awkward outsider who longs to be cool. In fact, he marks down every social rejection on his Humiliation Sheets. He also desperately longs to get closer to his crush, Christine, even going so far as to try to get to know her while they rehearse for A Midsummer Night's Dream. So when he hears about a device called a squip that implants itself in one's brain and tells you how to be cool, he is immediately intrigued. After doing a little research and creatively figuring out how to raise the $500 for it. Once he has it, he instantly skyrockets from the dredges of high school hierarchy to the top, easily catching the attention of some of the hottest girls in the school. But Jeremy still wants Christine and he will stop at nothing to get her, even if it means risking everything the squip has given him.

This is a funny, original novel. While not the best-written book I've ever read-- and certainly racier than what I'd normally go for-- I still enjoyed it. Sure there's swearing and some delving into the adolescent male mind-- scary and murky as that may be--, but I found it enlightening in many ways. Vizzini's most successful moments in this book are how he shows high school cliches and hierarchy and how he proves that sometimes the cool people have absolutely no explanation as to how they got that way. It also shows, without too much preaching, that honesty is the best policy, even if it goes against social norms. Does Jeremy need the squip? Maybe. In the end, he learns more from the experience of having it than he may have learned without it.

When all is said and done, I'd much rather read a love story from a boy's point of view than a sticky sweet romance from a girl's perspective. Books like this are important since they serve to counterbalance the horde of chick lit. books for teen girls. And for that I am eternally grateful.

So if you want romance that is original and funny with a little bit of snark thrown in, this is for you. It may not be completely romantic, but in many ways it's more honest than any Hallmark card. And that's saying something.

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