Meg Wolitzer's "The Interestings"

This book popped up as the first book in an online book club I recently started subscribing to. For some reason, I immediately assumed this to be non-fiction, but learned the reverse was true the moment I started trying to locate a copy using World Cat.

It was only available at Merrylands, so I used this as the perfect excuse to finally head off there. I signed up for membership, browsed all their lovely books and CDs, and then I needed the help of the librarian, as it wasn't in the usual fiction section, but on the "new releases" shelf.

I started reading it that day, and was bored in the first few pages, so I put it down. I was a little bit over reading books about teenagers who think they are special because they have this great group of friends. Realistically, this is just the cynic, lonely, bitter part of me speaking. I'm just jealous.

Realising I couldn't put it off forever if I wanted to be apart of a book club, I kept reading. And from the second chapter onwards, I fell in love. There is nothing all that unique in this story, it is just fantastic writing, and great character development. Jules and her friends felt real to me, even if they would have never befriended me, and I was still happy to accompany them on their journey.

I won't spoil much, but the story is essentially about a group of friends, ironically (to them) named "The Interestings", who go to an annual camp together. Each character has their own strengths, flaws, and unique history, which are slowly unveiled as the story progresses, often in suspenseful bits and pieces that keeps you hooked.

The story isn't told chronologically as it goes from the Interestings at age 15 in chapter one, only to appear 50 in the next chapter, and then in their early 20s. This is really what makes the story so interesting; the fact that we can read about these characters in middle-age, and still have them be believable, and yet "mysterious" as things are alluded to, and the facts dispersed intermittently.

As I was approaching the end of this story, I felt a certain sadness to be leaving my new friends behind. I really wanted to stay in their world a little longer.

This is the best fictional novel I've read in the past year, so if my testament is good enough, go check it out!