Analysis of Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl

Published in 2013, Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl falls under the category of young adult novels. Even though the novel is over a decade old now, it is still very popular among people who love young adult novels. In fact, every year, coming-of-age readers since 2013 have enjoyed this book and have run to grab a copy of it. 

I was about 23 when I first read it. And now, 6 years later, at the age of 29, I picked up it again. 

Yes, it may seem that both times, I was way over my age to read these kinds of books. But you see, sometimes, feel-good books are just that – feel good. 

When I first read the book, I was a mere fresher at University. Things were different, and the perspective in life was different. But now, they are even more different. I have now done my Masters in English Literature, majored in critical analysis of literature, and seen a lot of life and even more kinds of texts.

So, I decided to be unbiased and talk about Fangirl. 

Heads up! There may be spoilers ahead!

Synopsis 

On the surface, the book is a simple little world of its own. Twin sisters, Cath and Wren, are beginning their University life. The main difference between them is that Wren is outgoing, while Cath is socially anxious. 

Cath is not a loser though! She writes fanfictions about the Simon Snow series (fictional) which are sometimes sexual too. The sisters enjoyed the fanfiction together when they were younger, however, Wren seems to have outgrown it. 

In a series of events, Cath goes through multiple decisions that she takes. Surrounding these, Rowell explores different themes in the novel.

Themes

There are many themes in the book and some of them, I have avidly pointed out here. 

• Social Anxiety

Cath is clearly introverted and socially anxious. Just like the world, she is a Simon Snow fan. However, she is more than that too. Her world revolves around the characters, Simon and Baz, from the fictional show in the book. After every chapter, you will find a Simon Snow chapter. Clearly showing us the importance of it for Cath. 

Cath has become so comfortable around the characters, that she assumes them to be real people. For her assignment in writing class, she creates fanfiction. This does not work out for the professor as it falls under certain kinds of plagiarism. The characters are already well-established, and there is not much to the persona that she can build. 

This part clearly shows her social anxiety goes far beyond just being nervous around people. Cath is generally anxious to show her mind to the people. 

Cath’s relationship with her roommate, Reagan, is also an insight into the true tale of having a roommate who is not someone you know. Reagan is different – entirely the opposite. However, she is not a bad person. 

The girls slowly build their relationship. They are not best friends at a glance. They are two people living in a dorm together and getting to know each other. While Reagan helps Cath break out of her shell, even to the end, we never get to know if they will become BFFs or just good friends out of circumstances. 

Let us not forget that Cath is also shown so socially anxious, that she prefers having protein bars in her room rather than eating in the dining hall. 

This brings us to the next theme. 

• Eating disorders

Rowell does not deal with eating disorders as a very serious disease in the book. However, he does talk about a teenage girl’s mind and how food is associated with it. 

I will give an example of myself here, when I am stressed, I eat! While I have never been diagnosed as someone who has an eating disorder, so many perspectives and thoughts trigger this blazing fire that can only be extinguished with comfort food. 

Something of this sort is shown in the book along with the topic of the introduction of alcohol in teenagers. Let’s talk about Wren first. 

Wren is off and on with anorexia. She does not really have an eating disorder but is closely bringing herself on the line. Wren and her roommate, Courtney, save their calories from alcohol. 

Of course, this implies two things here. The first is that they are conscious about their weight and want to be healthy and thin all the time. However, the second is that they want to consume alcohol in a big amount (which also eventually causes alcoholic poisoning to Wren), so they prioritize their calories – WEEK WISE! Yes! 

Because they party on the weekends, they eat cottage cheese and peaches to save their calories to use them all up in alcohol on the weekend. 

Wren’s need for this comes from slight peer pressure from her roommate. However, the foundation is that she wants to fill the void of acceptance from her mother. Something she can never get because she left the girls when they were younger. 

As mentioned earlier, Cath is perfectly fine with living on snacks. Her roommate and her sister sometimes have to push her to the dining hall to have a proper meal. 

Once again, her relationship with food is not bad. She does feel the need for it and eats it. However, the socially anxious Cath, cannot deal with the anxiety of eating between hundreds of people. 

 And you can see this clearly. As Cath builds her confidence and acquires friends, she often goes to the cafeteria to eat proper meals. 

• Coming of age

One of the most important themes of the book is coming of age. Entering adulthood. Finding independence. 

My personal recommendation is to always let yourself make mistakes. However, be safe! 

I wish I could tell both the characters my advice. While Cath made more emotionally and generally devastating decisions sometimes, Wren straight up almost killed herself with alcohol poisoning. 

Wren and Cath enter a world without each other. Making mistakes, making friends, being responsible – all was a part of it. 

Both did not really do a great job as Cath hung on to her Simon Snow world and Wren just thought it meant being wasted. 

They eventually did learn to grow up in the end. However, at some costs. 

Style of narration

When it comes to the style of narration of Fangirl. I just have one question for Rainbow Rowell. Why?

Rowell has been a good writer. His strength has always been writing in the first-person POV which helps readers dive into the mind of the characters. 

Here is the problem, we get into the mind of Cath too. But, why? The story is written in the third-person view. However, because Rowell’s strength is not writing as an outsider, this does not work out much. 

As a reader who is reading for good pieces, it is a turn-off. However, if you want to end the mystery then it’s okay. 

There are some levels of stream of consciousness used as well and the theme of stress + art. As we see in the end Cath finishes her fanfiction but begins to struggle to write original content for her writing class. 

Rowell seems to incorporate as much as he knows about literary elements in a POV that he does not know much about. 

Again, Why? 

The chapters about Simon Snow do tell us a hint of Cath’s mind, then WHY?

Wrap up

My conclusion is that I did enjoy the book overall. However, as a self-proclaimed but still qualified critic, it seemed to lack flare. The character-building was slow. Not sweet-slow. But like one day they are different. There is not much thought that the characters seem to have, but we know their heads. 

I would still recommend you pick it up once and enjoy it.