Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2008; ISBN 037584614X
Recommended reading age: Grade 9 and up
Summary:
Whether you identify with boys or girls, you’ll have someone to relate to in this he-said/she-said novel by friends David Levithan and Rachel Cohn. Nick, a high school senior, begins the book broken-hearted, depressed, and pining for his ex-girlfriend, Tris. He starts feeling better while onstage with his band…but then Tris shows up to crash the party. Meanwhile, Norah is also at the show—a sort of chaperone for her best friend Caroline who never stays out of trouble. In an oversized flannel shirt, Norah appears completely out-of-place among the hipsters at the show. But thanks to her decision to stand at the bar, she winds up pretending to be Nick’s girlfriend.
NICK:
So I, this random bassist in an average queercore band, turn to this girl in flannel who I don’t even know and say:
“I know this is going to sound strange, but would you mind being my girlfriend for the next five minutes?”
…
NORAH:
Boyfriend to the rescue! I answer NoMo’s question by putting my hand around his neck and pulling his face down to mine. God, I would do anything to avoid Tris recognizing me and trying to talk to me… I didn’t expect NoMo to be such a good kisser…
That kiss sets the stage for the rest of the book, which becomes a crazy kind of scavenger hunt around New York City, sprinkled with drag queens, ex-girlfriends, ex-boyfriends, and a crazy rainstorm. And, of course, the book wouldn’t be complete without a killer “soundtrack” of song titles scattered throughout.
Review:
Thanks to the movie, I started reading this book with trepidation. I have no problem with Michael Cera, but he and Kat Dennings just never pulled off a believable romance for me. I wasn’t very inspired by the story of an awkward boy pining for his ex-girlfriend, and an over-confident, misguided girl who can’t seem to look beyond herself. I had no qualms about buying the soundtrack, but I wasn’t exactly thrilled to read the book. To my surprise, the book outperformed the movie by 1000%. Thanks to dual-authorship, both Nick and Norah possess very authentic, individual voices. They’re polished and well-written, but still come across as teenagers. Although I’m nearly ten years older than Nick and Norah, I identified with them more than I have with any other character in ages. They’re that well-rounded! I also enjoyed some truly masterful lines. I’m not sure the book should be winning any awards for literature, but it made for an entertaining, high-quality read. I definitely recommend this to fans of teenage romance, music, books with multiple narrators, fans of the movies, and teens who have no problem with bad language and sex (there’s quite a bit of it).
