By CAITLIN HOFEN, Features Editor
There’s a quote by Ben Francia that says, “Great things never came from comfort zones.” The entire essence of the character Cath goes against this saying.
In the book “Fangirl,” by Rainbow Rowell, readers are thrown into the word of Simon Snow and the life of Cath, a young girl starting college.
Growing up, Cath and her twin sister, Wren, dealt with their mother leaving by becoming enveloped in the fictional world of Simon Snow.
They poured over each book and waited hours in line to watch the movies. Cath and Wren even started their own fanfiction rendition of Simon Snow, which becomes known worldwide.
Wren eventually grows out of the obsessive phase, but Cath can’t seem to let it go.
The twins are off to college, and Wren drops a bombshell on Cath: She doesn’t want to be her roommate anymore.
Cath is thrown completely outside her comfort zone with a stranger as a roommate, classes she doesn’t think she can handle and doubt that she can leave Simon Snow behind.
I found this story extremely relatable, as it tackles many issues young adults have to deal with every day.
The character of Cath is the stereotypical nerdy girl. Her awkwardness rolls off the page in waves as she starts to find herself in college.
She doesn’t want to give up the comfort of her fanfiction writing, but as she grows away from her sister, she starts to develop into a person she never thought she would be.
Cath is a relatable character because she’s scared to give up the person she thinks she is. Her entire identity is connected to her family and fanfiction writing.
At college, she is hours away from her dad, and her sister wants to find independence away from each other. Most of the book, Cath fights to change and willingly get outside her comfort zone. Many people starting a new chapter in life don’t want to let go of the comfort of who they think they are.
“Fangirl” is a character-driven novel that was slow at times. I think the author sugar-coated some aspects of mental health. She also didn’t accurately portray the behavior of the fanfiction community. Instead of Cath interacting on a personal level with readers, which usually happens with fanfiction, she seems like a celebrity and never seems to read other works.
While Cath did eventually accept that being outside the comfort zone is OK, I don’t appreciate that it took the opinion of a boy to get her there.
I would have enjoyed the story more had Cath come to the realization that she is more than her fanfiction writing through finding her voice by other means.
The fictional world of Simon Snow that runs throughout the novel is extremely similar to Harry Potter. It makes me wonder how original that aspect of the novel is.
The story does deal with parental abandonment, anxiety, eating disorder and hospitalization. Readers need to be prepared for these topics, or they may want a different book.
In conclusion, “Fangirl” is a coming-of-age story. The character of Cath is relatable in many ways, but I think the story lacks in content at times.
As a stand-alone novel, it’s a good break from reading a book series. If readers are struggling with getting outside their comfort zone and accepting change, this is a good book to pick up.