Adrienne Maria Vrettos

I thought The Exile of Gigi Lane would be a cute, fun read. It was, but it was also so much more.

We experience Gigi's popularity downfall in a rigid social hierarchy that is more clearly defined than the structure of most large companies. It's hard to like Gigi, as she is completely delusional in the way she believes others view her. Her delusions make it all the more meaningful when reality begins to set in. Self-esteem is necessary to a healthy life, but in realistic proportions. Gigi's show more manta - "I'm Gigi Lane and you wish you were me." - speaks volumes of her opinion of herself and others.

Teen girls live in a volatile bubble where flippant an offhanded remark by one can alter another's life monumentally. The Exile of Gigi Lane is an exaggerated inside look at this bubble. We see how mean girl bullying can take on a life of its own, while also leading a person to learn what's truly important in life. Gigi is hugely hurtful to others under the guise of helping. She seems to truly believe that making mean comments is the appropriate way to teach someone how to change their life for the better. The most shocking part of the novel is that I really did sympathize for her once she got her priorities straight.

The Exile of Gigi Lane contained a bit of mystery and a twist ending I never saw coming. This book is extremely fun with some real life lessons to be discovered. The school itself was unrealistic in my mind, but the story itself was truly engaging. The Exile of Gigi Lane is deliciously evil, very funny and surprisingly touching. show less

Fourteen-year-old Donnie and his older (and more popular) sister, Karen, have a ritual that helps them avoid their parents' fighting. Donnie depends on Karen to get him through their fighting and the fallout from his own unpopularity. But when Karen develpos an eating disorder, Donnie struglles to keep his entire family afloat.

I loved everything about this book. Donnie is a fantastic character with his analysis of unpopularity ("We're the end of the line. We're the ones people look at and show more think, At least I'm not them....and there's something really wrong with all of our personalities, because nobody likes us, not even the teachers"), and the relationship between Karen and Donnie is spot-on for its showcase of sibling love and rivalry. The relationship between their parents is well-explored also. I also liked that the reasons for Karen's illness were never blamed on any one facet of their family life, or on her parents at all. It could have just as easily been another girl, and I liked how Vrettos treated that issue while still keeping it critical to the story. I challenge you not to love this book! show less

I can sum this book up in one word: ridiculous. But strangely, I enjoyed it all the same.

Gigi Lane, our narrator, is an over-the-top caricature of herself. She is the mean girl. The top-dog. The future prom queen. I'm sure you know the type, if not from real life experience, then from pretty much every teen movie ever made.

Anyway, the book starts off at the end of her junior year at Swan's Lake- an all-girl private school run by the beautiful, powerful Hot Spot. The Hot Spot is a trio of show more flawless, uber-popular seniors which make sure the schools stays in order. They assign the first years tasks (such as cleaning window, vacuuming, etc.), they keep the cliques in line (the Cheerleaders, the Glossies, the Vox Foxes, etc.), have a mysterious Den of Secrecy, and are part of The Network- powerful connections that will have you set for life. Sounds awesome, right? Gigi, who is next in line for the Head Hottie throne, is super excited for her senior year. But as you can imagine, and correctly assume from the title and premise, things go wrong.

I loved this book, though I didn't start out that way. By Chapter Three, I was convinced this was the most unrealistic bag of BS I've ever read. Had the writer ever been to high school in the least? I wanted to stab the very unlikable Gigi with a fork. Then Gigi came back from Alaska (read the book and find out), and a light shined down from the heavens as I finally understood what this book was. It was supposed to be over-the-top bullshit. It was sattire! Ohhhh

After that, the book was a whole lot more enjoyable as I laughed at Gigi's bizarre antics and the absurd plot. Even though it was sort of predictable in the beginning, some of the twists at the end genuinely surpised me. And Gigi changed for the better.....sort of.

So overall, I don't know. This will either be a hit-or-miss for some people. You'll either appreciate the humore, or give up on Gigi from the start. Most of the negative reviews on here complain about Gigi being "unrelatable", to that I say well, duh. show less

Grade Levels: 8-11
Category: Realistic Fiction
Read-Alouds: 7-8 (Porch sitting); 21-23 (Chris and Bean); 96-98 (Food journals); 150-154 (Rehab); 170-172 (The discovery)

Summary:
Donnie’s sister has always taken care of him. When his parents fought or he got awful earaches, he could always count on Karen being there for him. Donnie struggles to watch his older sister grow up and move on, making new friends without him. He eventually falls in love with Karen’s best friend, Amanda, a bond that, show more later, helped him cope with the worst event of his life. Karen grows increasingly distant and one day Donnie finds out the secret she’s been keeping---Karen is anorexic. Karen’s eating disorder affects the entire family and Donnie finds that for once Karen can’t be there for him and he’ll have to do the rescuing.

Themes:
The central theme of the story is eating disorders, specifically anorexia. Karen’s battle with this disease is detailed at length and describes her family’s struggle to cope with her ailment. Because eating disorders are extremely prevalent and are becoming more so, this book would be a vital asset to a classroom and a great starting point for discussions on tough issues. Family dysfunction also plays a role as do other teenage problems such as love/lust, friends, social interactions, etc.

Reader Response:
I loved, loved, loved this book. It was very sad, but the tragedy of the situation served as a vehicle to help readers consider deeper points. This book would be excellent in middle and high school classrooms as well as for teachers. It not only talks about anorexia from the standpoint of the suffering individual, but provides insight to the ramifications eating disorders cause to entire family units. In most of the books I chose I wanted to find material on real, tough issues that teenagers, specifically teenage girls, go through. Eating disorders, body dysmorphia and other body image issues, and self-esteem are huge in the lives of teenage girls in our society. This book is an asset to teachers who want to do more than just teach reading, writing, and math. It provides the opportunity to look deeper into the lives of students and closely examine things they deal with on an every day basis. The author’s choice to use a male narrator served two purposes: there is equal coverage of males and females in the book allowing it to appeal to a broader spectrum, and providing the insight of a person who, because of his gender, would not normally be considered when discussing eating disorders. As I mentioned before, the book was heartbreaking, but well worth a few tears. show less