Book Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

As part of her Sherlock Week post yesterday, author Frankie Brown mentioned her love for the book Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.  Today she reviews it for us.

Rainbow Rowell doesn’t write books; she writes characters. 

In Eleanor & Park, Rainbow gave us a comic book lover who dressed like art and a popular kid whose kind heart made him a misfit. Rainbow told their story with love and filled it with music, making beauty rise from horror.

Rainbow’s latest book is about Cath, a freshman in college and the titular fangirl. Cath’s fandom of choice: Simon Snow, a fictional (not fiction, fictional) book series that’s a lovely nod to Harry Potter. From her novel-length fanfiction to the commemorative busts displayed on her desk, Cath’s life is consumed by her fandom. But it’s a joyful consumption. 

“Why do we write fiction?” Cath’s creative writing professor asks on the very first day of class. The answers range from thoughtful to comical and deep to superficial. Cath ducks her head and keeps quiet, but right before the scene fades out, we glimpse the answer scribbled in her notebook:

To disappear.

Cath has anxiety, and the best gift you could give to a person with anxiety is an invisibility cloak. Under that cloak no eyes can see you, judge you or grade you. Cath knows that very well. But in her new college environment, with a roommate who won’t leave her alone and a boy who just won’t bloody leave, Cath’s invisibility cloak gets a few holes. 

Rainbow doesn’t write books; books are self-contained. Rainbow gives us snapshots of her characters’ lives — characters so real that after you finish reading, you’ll want to pick up the phone and call them. Just to say hello.

Fangirl is available now from St. Martin’s Press. 

About Frankie Brown:

Frankie Brown writes, sells and hoards books in Athens, GA, a funky little town famous for its music scene. But, as anyone who’s ever heard the fruits of Frankie’s musical endeavors can attest, her talents lie elsewhere. She’s turned her creative energy to crafting stories and can typically be found hunched over a keyboard in her neighborhood coffee shops. @frankiebrown25

Until We End by Frankie Brown
It’s been nine months since the virus hit, killing almost everyone it touched. Seventeen-year-old Cora and her little brother, Coby, haven’t left home since. Not after the power cut out; not even after sirens faded in the distance and the world outside their backyard fence fell silent. But when a blistering drought forces Cora to go in search of water, she discovers that the post-apocalyptic world isn’t as deserted as she thought when she meets Brooks, a drop-dead sexy army deserter.

Fighting their way back home, Cora finds her house ransacked and Coby missing – kidnapped by the military for dangerous medical experiments in the name of finding a cure. Brooks knows exactly where Cora can find her brother, except he says it’s a suicide mission. Cora doesn’t care. But Brooks can’t let her go…

Filed under: book review, Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell