Friday, February 7, 2014

Unique Love Stories: Finding the Needle in the Haystack in YA Literature by Miss Jay Gray


   Let’s be honest, the Young Adult genre is saturated with love stories. From books like the Twilight series, to even books that are not romantic stories like the Hunger Games series – they all include, at the very least, hints of romance and, most frequently, the dreaded love triangle. One could argue that the entire YA genre itself is saturated, since most novels seems to be following in the footsteps of the more ‘original’ and ‘popular’ novels in the genre. But every once in a while, one finds a treasure amongst the mounds of copycats – a needle in the haystack. Rainbow Rowell is one of those hidden gems.

   Not since J.K. Rowling have I found such a wonderful and entertaining writer. I discovered Rowell when her YA novel, Eleanor & Park, was chosen as the best YA read of 2013 on the reading site Goodreads. At first I was hesitant because the summary sounded quite general – like any other YA romance novel, awkward girl meets the guy of her dreams. As I started reading, though, I quickly realized I was in for a very different kind of romantic story.

First of all, the novel takes place in the 80s, a completely different setting from the present and future worlds typical to the YA genre. Second, and most important, our main girl Eleanor is not your typical love-struck Mary-Sue; she is an overweight girl trying to get through high school while at the same time living through a lot of serious – very serious – problems at home. Park comes into her life at just the right moment and their relationship doesn’t develop overnight, there is a slow buildup of emotions that makes the reader fall in love with these two strange characters and their odd relationship.


   Moments after finishing Eleanor & Park, I knew I had to have another hit of Rowell’s marvelous writing and amazing characters, so I quickly turned to her other YA novel Fangirl, of which I had heard amazing things as well. I did not disappoint. If I thought Eleanor & Park was a unique love story, then Fangirl was one step ahead, because it didn’t feel like I was reading a love story at all. Partly because it was so well done and mostly because I was too busy wondering how Rowell had managed to write a novel about my fanfic-writing, yaoi-loving, Harry Potter-fanatic self. Cather’s love story is not only about a boy (whose name I won’t give away for the sake of SPOILERS), but also about the books series she loves and her twin sister. Like Eleanor, Cather also has many serious problems at home, but through her various love stories she is able to find herself as a person and her place as a writer.

    Rainbow Rowell has truly been an amazing discovery. Not since Suzanne Collins released The Hunger Games back in 2008 have I been this excited about an upcoming YA author. So I encourage you all to discover the magic within the pages of her books – the needle in the YA romance haystack has been found.

Miss Jay Gray

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Miss Jay Gray is one of our experts in Young Adult literature. Not only does she specializes in this genre, but she's also an avid fan of everything anime, gaming, and cosplay. Her love for this type of literature has given her an opportunity to study it from an academic perspective. Expect great things form Miss Jay Gray, because here, at PT, we'll be looking forward to more collaborations with her.

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