Tanya Egan Gibson

I was concerned about two possible outcomes when I first read the cover flap to How to Buy a Love of Reading: the first that the book would be overwrought with literary devices, self-referential and self-deferential -- obsessed with its own cleverness, the second that as a "young adult" book, the writing would be so simplistic, so easy to read, that it would not be worth my time.

Gibson walks a narrow line without ever venturing into either extreme in this novel, which is filled with a rich show more and moving narrative, well-depicted and sympathetic characters and metafictional devices, theme, tone and point-of-view. It is not only the sort of book that one can read many times to find out what it is "really about" (and certainly, because it is the sort of book that makes one hark back to their own exposure to the concept of literature as more than narrative, I was tempted midway through to sit down and write a 5 paragraph essay about the Dark Journey and Coming of Age imagery.) but also the sort of book wherein "stuff happens" and the reader cares about what will happen.

The writing is elegant, readable, funny and terribly, terribly sad. It is easy to identify with parts of each of the (many) characters, while despising others. Ultimately, it is a book about narrative, as each of the main characters has a different struggle with living their own narrative -- Hunter who lives his life according to his own internal narration, Carley, who rewrites her life in Aftermemory, Bree who is so self-conscious and defensive that she invents literary devices in her life and Justin, who does not live at all, rather inventing the story of his life to be printed in the papers. show less

I am not sure that the characters were complete, realistic or even likeable, but the meta writing kept me fascinated. I find my mind lingering on the characters and coming back to certain passages or ideas brought up in the book. Most definitely one of the most interesting books I have read in a while.

Not at all what I expected, I expected fluffiness and got something much more substantial.

I used to sneer at people who claimed that a novel or movie could ever change their minds on something or change their perspective. Why would anyone be so keen to surrender a piece of their mind to a mere story that some stranger wrote?
How to Buy a Love of Reading is the rock upon which my indifference has been dashed. It is an amazing novel, combining both an earnest and gut-wrenching coming-of-age in the pitiless environment of the ultra-rich families of Fox Glen, and cold and clinical show more metafiction which not only dissects the story, but also dissects itself, following the metafictional desire to self-criticize and self-consume.
To know that this is Tanya Egan Gibson's debut novel is astounding.
This is definitely my favourite kind of novel, the kind that's packed with creativity (another of my favourites in this vein is The Female Man, by Joanna Russ). I highly invite people with open minds and hearts to read it. show less

I really enjoyed this book despite what I think is fairly deceptive flap copy. I expected a much more tongue-in-cheek narrative that this book offers- the satire is fairly light in my opinion. Despite that, the story itself is compelling, and Carley (who I disliked in the beginning) develops into a character with wonderful depth. Her struggle to survive while trying to save her best friend is unexpectedly poignant, and I enjoyed watching Carley slowly come to recognize her own worth outside show more of Hunter's reflected glory.

There was plenty of scope for wry laughter once Bree (and her painful novel) make an appearance. Bree's level of narrative deconstruction will entertain anyone who's ever endured a college writing class. Her efforts to find a narrative truth are unexpectedly assisted by Carley's hatred of books and refusal to accept Bree's idea of storytelling.

Gibson perfectly captures the feelings of isolation and confusion that all teenagers experience (no matter their parents' socio-economic situation), and ably crafts a realistic (though rather surreal) story. Highly recommended. show less