Daria Snadowsky,the author of Anatomy of a Boyfriend,has Judy Blume listed as one of the folks to whom she's dedicated her first novel to and it's clear from her writing that Blume was a wonderful influence on her. The story is told from the
p.o.v. of Dominque Baylor,a 17 year old girl getting ready for college who has honed her intellect but not her romantic IQ. When she takes up her best friend Amy's offer of going to a high school track meet,Dom unexpectedly runs into Wesley who becomes her first love.
Wesley's a nice guy who is just as inexperienced as Dom and it takes awhile for their relationship to really take off. When it does, the road to love hits a few bumps on the way. Dom's parents become concerned about her devotion to Wes,especially when Dom wants to switch colleges to be in the same school as him. Dom gets flustered when Wes doesn't seem as into her as she is to him and she also worries about him having feelings for a childhood female friend who he liked enough to name his dog after.
One of the strong points of the novel is the realistic take on first love. Dom's behavior is atypical yet not overly dramatized to juice up the plot. The relationship she has with her parents is very well portrayed;she does get into some friction with them over her romance but the lines of communication are never shut off and the love between them is solid. One of the best moments in the book comes from an unexpected revelation from Dom's dad that helps to heal not only the breach between them but helps Dom become abit more mature.
Speaking of mature,AOAB is very frank about how physically intimate Dom and Wes go. Safe sex is practiced and the responsibilites and awkwardness of physical discovery are realistically portrayed without glossing over the details. This is territory that was first explored in Judy Blume's Forever and further expanded on here in a thoughtful and nonjudgmental way.
Anatomy of a Boyfriend is a great debut from an author who I hope we'll be seeing more of in the future. If you would like to know more about her or AOAB,please click the title link above to check out her official website. This is a great Valentine's Day read for the soon to be college bound girl or those looking to recall those days again.
5 comments:
17 and they are just now having sex? Does the novel take place in 1955? ;-)
Thanks for the Blogger advice. I have some reader participation going on now, if you'd like to cast a vote.
Ah, young love. Wouldn't want to do it all over again. That's for sure. Especially today when kids have all this pressure and adult responsibility. Sounds like a good book. Thanks for the review.
You're welcome,PCD-I appreciate the feedback:)
Jake,what do you have against 1955? Did you get in a Delorian and wind up meeting your folks as teens or something,hmmm:-D? You're welcome for the advice and yes,I'll cast a vote gladly.
Just when I think I'm making headway through my TBR pile, you keep turning me on to new books.
Can't say more. Gotta go keep reading.
Check out the build your own boyfriend game: www.randomhouse.com/teens/anatomy
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