Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here

basically a book version of this joke:



This was funny and a pretty realistic look at fandom / fan culture, which is always nice! Lots of flawed and realistic characters, as well as some poignant self-reflection:

It's been bothering me more and more that I can't ever see anything objectively, that every observation I make is filtered through my personal lens whether I like it or not. I mean, all my favorite novels are like that. F. Scott Fitzgerald basically is Gatsby, so obviously it's Gatsby's book, and Daisy comes off like a flake. But maybe in Daisy's unwritten book, Gatsby is a flashy, patronizing asshole who thinks he could win her with money and fancy stuff. And that might be an even better book.

She sighs, as if she thinks everything she's about to say is something that's going in one of my ears and out the other, and says “The best parts of life aren't clear-cut or obvious – they don't have neat endings. I know it's your inclination to skip to the end, but you can't just focus on how it's all gonna turn out.”

oh my goshhh

I loved this so much, I love Scarlett so much, this is probably the YA book that I have felt TeenRenata could have most identified with. (The previous thing TeenRenata could have most identified with: Liz Lemon's high school reunion flashbacks on 30 Rock.)

It's so smart and funny and compassionate, not only for Scarlett but also for all of its characters (even when Scarlett herself is not, yet).

It also felt like the most realistic portrayal of online fandom I've seen, including the weirdly-not-creepy online-friend-mentorships that come up between younger and older fans? And also the way Scarlett identifies fandom as being a feminist act of reclaiming–that's something I've seen thinkpieces about but maybe not explicitly addressed in fiction before.

ugh this book is so funny and great, all you nerds should definitely read it