I loved McCurdy’s memoir I’M GLAD MY MOM’S DEAD, so I thought I would give her fiction a whirl. It wasn’t for me as good as her memoir, but I still enjoyed it. She’s a sharp writer of uncomfortable topics.
In this novel, a seventeen year old girl pursues her English teacher. He does not put up much of a fight. They have lots of very explicit sex. You will not be amazed to learn she does not have a very stable home life. She gets very fixated on him, and eventually demands he leaves his wife. I was surprised to feel rather sorry for him. Here he is on how teaching is not his dream:
I wanted to be a writer. A novelist. But I couldn’t handle the lack of security required to be one. I couldn’t tolerate the fluctuating, inconsequential strings of income. The consistent rejection. The scrutiny of my parent’s friends . . The uncertainty. I chose being able to afford take-out from the Thai place on the corner over roughing it, living off ramen noodles. I chose going to the game with the guys over submitting my short stories to publicatins. I chose catching up on my favourite TV show over finishing a draft. I chose comfort over betting on myself.’
He leaves his wife for her, and once she has him she does not want him any more.