Top 100 Gay Novel: How I Paid for College by Marc Acito

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Everytime I heard about this book, it was about how funny it was, how crazy and original. And since it is also tagged as a Gay Young Adult novel, I was really interested in reading it, since usually Gay YA novels are always sad and, let us say, depressing. How I Paid for College, A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater is all but depressing. Edward Zanni's attitude towards life is to full face front it, rather than being depressed by the odds in his path. But, truth be told, this is not even a gay novel; the fact that Edward is bisexual (because he is bisexual, maybe with a more enhanced interest in men, but not an exclusive interest) it's not the main pushing factor of the novel.

Edward is at the end of his high school years and he has already planned all his future life: he will attend Julliard and he will be an actor. Lucky Edward comes from a middle class family, and even if his parents are divorced, he has not suffered much from that: he is living with his father, who sustains him in everything, and his estranged mother is traveling somewhere in the world, trying to find herself. Edward has a cheerleader type girlfriend, Kelly, and a one year older female best friend who is already enrolled to the Julliard; among his circle of friends, there is also a nerdy boy his age, the jock who Edward convinced to play the role of Danny Zucco in their high school drama class, and Ziba, the daughter of wealthy Persian refugee, who acts like a Jackie Onassis replica. The strange things of this bunch of friends is that they are not "ordinary", everyone of them is crazy on his own way, and the craziness is allowed since they haven't to worry for the day after: everyone of them is the son of the middle class environment where they live, going to college for them is to prolong the eternal game that is their life.

When Edward's father remarries with an Austrian immigrate who is obviously looking for his money, for the first time Edward is faced with the reality of every ordinary teenager: his father will pay for tuition only if Edward will choose a "straight" (no pun intended) college. At first Edward tries to do the things as a normal teenager, working odd jobs to save for tuition, but 10.000 dollars is not an amount you can save in an year of afternoon job, above all since Edward seems unable to renounce to his hobbies and time with friends. And so the only other option his to steal the money from his father. Again, how they will do it is not the way of ordinary teenagers, but more a real life comedy played by rich kids.

From the sentimental point of view, Edward is also developing his sexuality. He is more drawn from the aesthetic of his possible lovers than from their gender: Edward loves Kelly since she is glamour, he has a crush on Doug since he is the perfect dream date, he is drawn by his English teacher since he represents the forbidden fruit, another way to rebel to his father. Maybe it's a generalization, but I think that Edward is gay since he loves the gay world more than the gays... he loves the glitter and glamour of that world, he loves the freedom he has to go up a table and sing a musical and being cheered and not sneered at.

Ab absurdo, if Edward and all his friends were more ordinary, the obvious solution to Edward's problem would have been simpler than expected... but if it was like that, there would have been this novel, and it would have been a shame, since it's, as expected, a funny and light read, and as I said, being not strictly connected to a gay teen experience, it has a wider breath.

Amazon: How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater

Amazon Kindle: How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater

Marc Acito's In the Spotlight post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/583688.html

Comments

[elena-62.livejournal.com]

Hi, Elisa!

Funny to read your review exactly today. I found this book in my post box yesterday evening, coming back from a weekend in Italy.

I had also heard about the book and finaly ordered it. Now I saw your review and I hoped it was a positive one, I started to overfly it and I read the sentence ''is depressing''. Luckily I had read it wrong....

I'm looking forward to read it, especially considering that it is not depressing ;-)


Ciao

Antonella

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Yes, that "but" before the "depressing" is essential ;-) I believe that this is one of the first time I read a YA book where the main character embraces his interest towards his same sex without considering it a drama... Edward has no problem at all in considering the idea that maybe he finds more attractive Doug than Kelly. Elisa