This book review was written by Davi Jacobs of Richard Montgomery HS
Anyone can find themselves relating to at least one of the characters developed in Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld.
Bored with her life in Indiana, 13-year old Lee Fiora decides to attend Ault, a prestigious preparatory school, after finding herself fascinated with the ‘glossiness’ of the Ault environment presented in the brochure. Visions of handsome boarding school boys and her desire to attend a private school since she was 10 propel her interest, but she does not truly believe this fantasy will become a reality due to her family’s financial status. This is when a letter arrives beholding a generous academic scholarship that will cover three-quarters of the tuition. In mid-September, when her former classmates are already attending the mundane public high school in the very midwestern South Bend, Indiana, Lee leaves for grand New England.
During her four-year stay at Ault, narrated by her adult self, Lee finds herself isolated and withdrawn from her peers. Her experiences clash with her naive dreams of having a cookie-cutter life from the Ault brochure, and she finds herself in a bit of a mess. Lee feels the usual teen angst offset by tests, relationships and college applications. But it is compounded by the fact that she really is an outsider, no matter how comfortable she becomes with the school, and her unflowered bedspread serves as just one of the constant reminders.
Sittenfeld does a remarkable job of filling this 400-page novel with unforgettable and intriguing characters. There’s Sin-Jun, Lee’s roommate from freshman year, who attempts suicide after a doomed relationship with another woman. There’s Aspeth, the quintessential blonde mean girl who Lee is both jealous and intimidated by. There’s Cross Sugarman, the apple of her eye for all four years, who did not reciprocate the love Lee felt for him and instead treated her like a disposable object. There’s Ms. Moray, an English teacher who never fails to muddle up a situation, and Ms. Prosek, Lee’s advisor, who carries her job of assisting Lee in tough affairs perfunctorily. All of the personalities presented leave a mark on the reader even after their spotlight moment concludes.
This is not a typical sugar-coated high school novel. In fact, whereas a plethora of novels comprising this genre highlight the main character’s journey to understanding themself and the world around them, there is no magical fictitious realization in Prep that is so often associated with graduating from high school. Lee is hyper-aware of race, status and class factors that play a role in our lives and are so often overlooked in writing. Although there are several instances throughout the book where I was rooting for Lee and was excited to see her taking the first step to better her life, I felt relief towards Sittenfeld’s decision to fabricate such a relatable character who feels drawn to a society she will never truly be a part of.
I more or less evolved into an ambivert not too long ago after I stepped out of my introverted shell and took up activities that coerced me into being more outgoing and less reserved.
“I always worried someone would notice me, and then when no one did, I felt lonely.” —Lee Fiora, Prep.
Just like Lee, I worried about trivial things that held me back from meeting new people and creating new experiences. Having had extra time to reflect on myself during quarantine, I realize just how dense I was to think that everyone is so busy judging my every move when in reality people are preoccupied with their own lives and are most likely also facing internal struggles. I actually found myself cringing at a number of scenes recalled by Lee because they were so sympathizable to my own life. I just wanted to reach into the book and stop Lee from allowing herself to be a doormat for people who did not have an ounce of respect for her.
Prep is a brutally honest coming-of-age debut that never fails to accurately depict the torments of adolescence, and it will most definitely conjure memories of joy, embarrassment and regret.
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