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I really loved this book. Not least for its brilliant and witty observations of the nuances of student life, but because Kit is so real. Look hard enough and there's a Kit Hannah lurking in every dorm. He'll be lying on his bed right now, ignoring the jaunty invitations being hurled at his door. He'll be wondering how the hell he got here and why the hell people are being so nice and foney. Why can't they just leave him be? But most of all, he'll be hoping that the person outside his door is just like him. SOmeone who can share his flagrant disgust of other students.
Set in Sheffield, the story is told through Kit Hannah, a cooler-than thou indie music maven who, behind a thin veil of cynicism and misanthropy, is not as different from his classmates as he thinks. He's quite the teen Holden Caufield, finding everyone phony, and distrusting friendliness. But it doesn't take much convincing for him to be sucked into the vortex of pubs, clubbing, dorm room spliffs, and deep meaningful talks that are the staple of college life everywhere. Soon, he's amassed a little circle of friends that will sustain and define his first year. The people that make up this supporting cast are all quite easy to imagine (the public school athletic type, the sexy older woman student, the sassy but undesirable galpal, the poseur tall-tale teller, the American uberfeminist, etc.), but a touch too melodramatic. Each one has some kind of hidden secret or quality that defines them, and eventually each will be revealed to Kit and the reader. Of course Kit has his own deep dark secret, and it's a pretty startling one that explains much of his problem with people.
The story is set entirely outside the classroom, taking place mostly after hours, as Kit struggles to make sense of his new life and what all these new people mean to him. As the story cascades through pubs, parties, restaurants, and dorm rooms, it's studded with plenty of comic moments, along with a number of those wince-inducing embarrassing scenes that are the staple of that first year of college. It's a never-pretentious, but occasionally soap-operaish trip back to that time when we all struggled desperately to stay true to ourselves and fit in enough to make friends and live happily. Admittedly, it very nearly goes over the top at times, but the incisive dissection of Kit's insecurities make it a memorable read.
Overall i did like this, one little gripe is the character "Alex", a typical example of the type of student i was voicing my annoyance at earlier - someone who has to turn just about everything into a debate. Nevermind........
A good ending aswell. Worth the buy.
Kit Hannah is someone we can all relate to or maybe we can all inspire to be... Read more
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