I Hate Whiners

See above; if a protagonist in a book is big moaner I am guaranteed to get a smidgen irritated. Nobody's life is perfect, you know? Mine certainly isn't. My ass is too big, I still have teenage skin at twenty one years old and I don't know what I want to do with the rest of my life. But I have a job, a degree and my parents aren't threatening to de-nest me just yet (to international readers, most Irish people don't leave home til their late twenties, formerly because of the housing boom that made life impossible for first time home buyers, and lately because the recession has rendered most graduates poor or unemployed). Where was I, and what was I talking about. Oh yes, Keep Holding On by Susanne Colasanti (social commentary over, I promise never to do it again).



Dude, the narrator in this book complains. So. Much. I mean really! Yes, her mother is awful and never buys her tampons but she has the use of her legs, is not blind or deaf and her best friend really loves her. It's not that bad! My mum forgot to buy tampons for me once or twice so I did what everyone else does and got them from the school health official. It was not the end of the world! It did not mean I was unhappy or neglected! And, Noelle, fine, your mum doesn't do your laundry but...you are SEVENTEEN YEARS OLD! I did my own laundry and ironing then. My mum, like Noelle's mum had, and has, a job so maybe doing LAUNDRY IS NOT SUCH A BIG ASK. You put things in the washer, then the dryer, and then you fold them. No big deal, really. It's quite relaxing, I find.

Noelle, in case you hadn't gathered from the above caps-lock rant is the impoverished protagonist of the novel. Her mum works a dead end customer service job and, in all fairness, is quite disinterested in Noelle, but even when she does make an effort Noelle moans about it. There was one bit where her mum makes pasta and Noelle complains for a whole paragraph that the garlic bread is the packaged kind. Well, that's unimaginable  store-bought garlic bread! Call the police like! Sheesh! I found that really annoying.

Then there was another bit about how when Noelle took a summer job, she was pissed off at her mum for 'stealing' all her wages. Well, if you're behind on the rent and the power is getting shut off, maybe you should be contributing! All my friends and I hand up some of our wages and have done since we were kids. Yes, her mum should have discussed it with her first but you can't expect to spend all your money on new clothes if your mum can't afford electricity and is claiming food stamps, can you? That seemed...dumb to me, if I'm honest.

Then Noelle goes on about how she's bullied at school, but when she sees another student being picked on she does nothing to help them out, and still complains that no one ever helps her. Do I even need to point out what's wrong with that scenario. Dun, Noelle. No one is going to fight for you if you aren't prepared to fight for them in return!

I think I've run out of steam now.

Epic sigh. I mean the book was good, but enough with all the whining!

Give it a go, I suppose, if you like getting irritated by narrators. The book does have some important points to make about bullying and is worth a read from that perspective alone.