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Read twice in a row, no books between, in two days. Ella, what did you do.
Rating: 4.75/5
Started: 1 September
Finished: 1 September
Started: 2 September
Finished: 2 September
Summary:
Frances, awkward introvert artist, wants to get into Cambridge University as a Lit major. No, needs to get into Cambridge University as a Lit major. Even if it means spending all her time on schoolwork and being Head Girl and never seeing her friends ("friends"). Then, one night, an (extremely drunk) friend of a friend spills that he is the Creator of Universe City, Frances's favorite podcast, the one she has sketchbook after sketchbook full of fanart of. And so her world expands. She begins to understand what having a real friend, someone who gets every part of her, can feel like.
But the Creator is haunted by his future, and Frances has done things in the past that she doesn't think she can ever be forgiven for. Art is beautiful, but it's hard not to let real life get in the way.
Thoughts:
I don't think I can rationally talk about this book. Especially after two reads one after the other, and after talking with Ada about it for like two hours. My thoughts are a total muddle. What I can do is write down all the highlights and notes and annotations I made on the e-book. Here they are:
First off, the pretty parts:
— "Aled says, 'I stopped feeling anything ages ago'" (268). His mother has hurt him and abused him to the point where he is numb. Baby. I'm so sorry.
— "'Never have I ever broken curfew' [..]Daniel laughs and says 'You are lame,' and takes a drink, but Aled shoots him a look and says, 'I'm lame as well then,' and Daniel looks immediately guilty" (169). Except he snuck out of his window to help Frances with math homework, so. Is he just defending her? Because that would be sweet as all heck.
— "I'm sure you think I was complaining about nothing. You probably think I'm a whiny teenager. And yeah, it was all in my head, probably. That doesn't mean it wasn't real. So fuck you all" (374). I don''t know why this quote felt so much for me. I really, really like it. It feels a little Made You Up-ish, but the note I have with it is that this book is a mix of IGYTS, Catcher in the Rye, Eliza and her Monsters, and The Fault in our Stars. It has a very unique and online-speak writing style, but this is definitely true too.
— "'I wished I had as many stories as her'" (423). Me too. I wish I had all the stories.
— "It felt so real. It didn't feel like I was trying to be someone I'm not, like I was putting on an act. I cared about him. He cared about me. That was all." This is so simple, so platonic, so sweet. I love. It also is a lot like the quote nearer the beginning, "You probably think Aled Last and I are going to fall in love or something. Since he is a boy and I am a girl. I just wanted to say— We don't. That's all" (108). It's so simple, so good. Reassuring. I'm not usually a fan of all-platonic relationships but this one is so good.
— Speaking of platonic love, "'I'm platonically in love with you'" (133). And Frances responded so casually. They are awkward and don't always communicate super well, but they also do, and when the do, the ease is lovely.
— "'You look so cool,' I said, and I meant it—he looked so cool, he looked like he could rise from the ground and float among the clouds and become the new sun, he looked like he could kill
someone with a smile, he looked like the best person in the world" (466). This feels so IGYTS-y. And pretty.
Next, things I noticed:
— The tenses are really weird: "Nobody knew who made the podcast, but it was the voice of the narrator that got me addicted to the show— it had a kind of softness. It makes you want to fall asleep. In the least weird way possible, it's a bit like someone stroking your hair" (21). Had. Makes. Is it because the impacts on Frances will never change, or could it be an accident? I don't know.
— "Carys Last didn't seem to smile, or feel the need to smile uncomfortably like I was doing. I was extremely impressed by this" (42). Me too.
— "But at the heart of it was Universe City" (129). I'm so glad their friendship didn't make them irresponsible toward their art. Every time I'm stressed a thing is going to happen, it doesn't, and it's amazing.
— "School Frances" is what Frances calls herself at school, when she has to act all dry. It feels very IGYTS-y.
— "And I thought that was fair enough" (157). Frances says this a lot. I like it. She doesn't really get jealous or insulted.
— Frances's mom uses the term "The Big Scheme of Things" and it feels pretty IGYTS-y
— They use "friendship group" instead of "friend group." It's so British
— Frances's mom asks her if she romantically likes Aled. "'Oh. Er. I haven't thought about it.' And then I did think about it. And I realized I didn't like him in that way at all. And it didn't matter. 'No, I don't think so,' I said. 'That's a bit irrelevant, isn't it?'" (107). I really, really like the wording.
— "Aled had told me weeks ago that nobody could know that he made Universe City. He said it quite forcefully, actually, with a kind of panic in his eyes— a contrast to his usual tentative air. If anyone knew it was him, he said, the entire concept, mystery, and intrigue of the show would be ruined" (208). This feels very Brian panic-and-rant-and-jump-out-the-window.
— Question: what does Frances's mom do? Like for work? They aren't super rich (90 pounds is a big-ish deal) but they aren't worried about money. So. What's up with that?
— After failing a bunch of important tests, Carys says "'You know what> I don't even care anymore. I literally do not care. So what, what's gonna happen? I'll just have to repeat year 11. No one can do anything about it. And if I fail again— then so what! I'll get a job'" (368). And Raine says something more toned down, but similar: "'Not great, but I think Afolayan'll let me back in. If I do some retakes'" (163). And then Carys sees herself in Raine. They're cool.
— "'Art reflects life,' said Carys. 'Or . . . maybe it's the other way round'" (424). Very IGYTS-ish.
— "London's Burning" (393) is the tune of Carys's doorbell. She was burned. Coincidence?
— "Bedrooms are windows to the soul" (179). IGYTS-y
And things that might be connections to other Alice Oseman books:
— Raine listening to Madeon, who's debut album was titled "The City." Coincidence?
— Daniel talks about coming out at his all-boys school: "'There was this one guy in the year above I really admired, one of Aled's friends'" (239).
— Once we'd done that, we dyed his hair pastel pink after he showed me a GIF of some band member in a heavy denim jacket—longish, just longer than his chin, and a soft, muted pink. After it was finished, I realized it was exactly how Radio's hair is described in Universe City" (457).
— "Her hair was a weird black, or maybe very dark brown, I couldn't quite tell, and she had a thick, full fringe concealing her eyebrows. She looked kind of tired, like she wasn't quite aware of where exactly she was" (463). Could this be someone from another book?
— "Sometimes I think we're the same person ... but we just got accidentally split into two before we were born." So. So. IGYTS-y. Ahh.
Another think I can do is remember some of my thoughts, rather than opinions, from my first read: '
First, I thought the book was going to be like Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda where I would be "guessing" who the Creator was, except I was pretty sure it was Aled from the second his voice was described as "soft" like the Creator's. But then the secret came out quickly, so it wasn't a problem.
Then, I thought Frances hiding that she was Toulouse was going to be a bit deal, but that was over pretty quickly too, thank god.
Then I spent a long time being scared Aled being outed as the Creator was going to be the climax, and I was really worried bc that's a little basic.
But the book skipped all of those banal tropes. I was so happy about that.
Reading this book was really fun. Im excited to read other books in the universe and start to put it all together. I'm really glad Ada introduced it to me.
Words
Scarper (v) informal British slang for run away
Skuds (n) a person that appears attractive from far away, but when seen closer, is actually ugly; a derogatory reference to someone or something — a drive?
Slag (adj) insulting British slang for a contemptible person
Quiff (n) a piece of hair, esp. on a man, brushed upward and backward from the forehead
Bagsy (v) to claim something unequivocally (British slang)
Cor (exclamation) expressing surprise, excitement, admiration, or alarm (British informal)