Book Review: Prep

Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld

Maybe I'm getting as grumpy as a certain NYT reviewer, but I can't think of much good to say about this novel. I'm not sure that it can really be called a novel and that may be my biggest problem with the book. I know that it was well liked, NYT notable book and all, but there was no real cohesive element here. No arc. No compelling plot line. And our first person narrator wasn't even terribly likeable.

Believe me, I wanted to like it. And though I didn't like Lee Fiona, I understood her. And there were great things brought up, great revelations. Yet, I kept looking back at the the number of pages I still had left to read and wondering why I should continue reading. I was really let down.

I'm beginning to feel more old fashioned all the time. I just expect more out of a book. I was just looking for something to pull me along in this book. The author misses opportunities to make a point. Somewhere near the middle of the book when there actually is a crisis, her friend steps in and saves the day without a lesson learned. Disappointing.

Was this an autobiographical novel? Was this one of those that could have been a memoir? It feels like that to me. And that's not a good thing for a novel.