I really like to read. Okay, so not the deepest, darkest secret I can reveal, but my love for devouring a sizable novel in the matter of a few days coupled with my less-than-glamorous social life catapult me into major book nerd status. I don't discriminate against any book genre, but I have developed a method for checking out library books that keeps me a well-rounded literary consultant and also keeps me from poisoning my brain with Nora Roberts-like crap that is more embarrassing than anything. During my weekly to bi-weekly library visits, I check out three books. I get one book that is a nonsense, Chick-lit-ish, highly entertaining read with little literary merit (i.e. Devil Wears Prada, Chasing Harry Winston, In Her Shoes etc.) Next, I find a classic, highly-revered text that makes me not feel bad for holding an English degree (i.e. Breakfast at Tiffany's, Lolita, 1984.) Finally, I grab a book off the shelf that by title and cover alone seems appealing. It is in this third category that I discovered College Girl by Patricia Weitz.
College Girl tells the story of 20-year-old Natalie Bloom who grew up in a blue-collar family with five older brothers, one of who committed suicide, and none of whom have ever seen the merit in going to college. She begins her post-secondary schooling at a community college and then transfers to the University of Connecticut. The book follows Natalie and she travels from a shy, studious introvert to a depressed, sexually-promiscuous introvert before finally ending up at a confident, self-aware slightly-less introvert. The plot in itself seems pretty simple, but the author is incredibly insightful in capturing the emotions of a young woman trying to find her place in the world despite going against everything she has been brought up to know.
In the beginning of the book, Natalie spends the majority of her time in the library and pushing herself to get perfect grades. Then she meets Patrick and that changes everything. At first, he seems to like her, but she soon realizes that, once she loses her virginity to him, he is using her for sex. Of course, while she idolizes him and thinks she's in love, he becomes even more detached thus leading her to a state of obsessive depression. Eventually, she ends it with him and is left to pick up the pieces. After that, however, she reconnects with Jack, another guy who was interested in her early on, and finds out what a meaningful, reciprocating relationship is.
Now, as a protagonist, I didn't especially like Natalie. I don't know what it is about many authors, but they seem to think that to make a female character multi-dimensional, she has to be self-destructive, insecure, and kind of whiny. Natalie is no exception. However, despite her semi-abrasive personality, Natalie is extremely relatable in terms of being a young collegiate woman. Weitz does an excellent job bringing to the surface all of the social issues that plague a young college girl like promiscuous sex, complicated relationships, and prioritizing school with the rest of life. Natalie's relationship with Patrick is unhealthy, but I can bet that 99% of college girls have had a similar relationship: one where she is emotionally invested and he is just physically invested and the more she tries to make him fall in love with her, the more distant he becomes. And then there's the case of the "Friday-night hook-up" as Weitz terms it. This is the scenario where Natalie and her friends go out every Friday night, get drunk, and end up making out with some random guy and all that they will be left with the next day is a monster hangover and feelings of disgust with themselves. Yep. I remember that being a big to-do in college. It almost seemed like a sorority you had to pledge. Make out with so many random guys and you will be accepted as a typical college girl. No matter that you feel like shit about yourself, you don't remember the guy's name much less anything else about him, and you spend the next week dodging corners in the library in case he or anyone else might recognize you from that party last weekend.
Despite the fact that Natalie's own character develops because of the men that she encounters, I find this book realistic and relatable. College is hard and finding healthy, meaningful relationships while in college is even harder. Natalie encounters real, unromanticized situations that she manages to dig her way out of for better or for worse. Kind of like the rest of us college girls.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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