And Then Things Fall Apart by Arlaina Tibensky

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

Keek is not having a good summer. She and her boyfriend have just had their Worst Fight Ever (on the subject of her virginity, nonetheless), she’s been betrayed by a best friend, her parents are splitting up, and her mother is on the other side of the country tending to Keek’s newborn cousin, who may or may not make it home from the hospital. Oh, and Keek’s holed up at her grandmother’s technology-barren house with an abysmal case of the chicken pox. In Keek’s words, “Sofa king annoying.”

With her world collapsing around her, Keek’s only solace comes from rereading Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar and typing on an old electric typewriter. Keek—whose snappy narrative voice is darkly humorous and hysterically blunt—must ultimately decide for herself which relationships to salvage, which to set free, and what it means to fall in love.

Review:

Keek's big plan for the summer definitely didn't involve catching a rare case of the chicken pox and being stuck at her grandmother's house with only an old typewriter and a copy of The Bell Jar to keep her company. However, nothing has really been going Keek's way lately. Her parents are splitting up - probably for good if the fact that her mom has run all the way off to the other side of the country is any inkling. Her reckless best friend Amanda has deceived her in one of the worst ways possible and Keek has slowly lost contact with her other best friend. Finally, Keek is hiding from her boyfriend because the last time she saw him things did not go too well to say the least. The one good thing that comes from being cooped up in an old house? Keek has plenty of time to think about live, love, and the future. Will everything go her way in the end, or will it end up becoming one "Sofa king" huge problem? Only time and more pages can tell!

When I first heard about this book, I knew I had to read it. Because not only did Keek and I share a favorite book, The Bell Jar, but also And Then Things Fall Apart sounded like the perfect mixture of teen angst, wit, and complications. However, while I did enjoy it, I had a few slight problems with it.

Keek was an interesting main character. She’s blunt, witty, and one of a kind to say the least. However, I was not always her biggest fan, and that is where the main problem of mine laid within this. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to like her character, but for the most part, I found her to be a bit immature when it came to many things, and her lack of confronting her problems became a bit old after a while as well. Her parents were much of the same, especially her mother. However, I have to say, I really did like Keek’s grandmother (Such a funny and introspective lady!) as well as Keek’s other friend Nic (who I wish made more appearances!).

I did enjoy the plot, though. It was filled with drama, drama, and more drama, and I always adore drama in my books. It also managed to keep the book going in a fast paced because I was intrigued to find out just how everything came together in the end. The scenes involving Sylvia Plath and The Bell Jar were also interesting and one of my favorite parts. Arlaina Tibensky’s writing was also a high point, because while I wasn’t always a fan of Keek, Arlaina did really mange to bring out the angst, confusion, and overall teenager-ness within her character.

In all, And Then Things Fall Apart was a decent debut. It was not necessarily the best book for me because of the main character, but I liked the overall picture.

Grade: B

And Then Things Fall Apart is now out!

Source: Publicist at Simon Pulse- thanks Dawn!

Blog Tour: Interview with Arlaina Tibensky, author of And Then Things Fall Apart!

As part of the blog tour for Arlaina Tibensky's And Then Things Fall Apart, I had the chance to ask Arlaina a few questions so without a further ado...


In your opinion, what are the top three reasons why teens (or even adults) should consider buying And Then Things Fall Apart the next time they see it in stores or online?

It is terribly well written, funny and simultaneously heartbreaking!
It is like entering the unique brain of a real life teen girl for 254 pages.
It has poetry and Sylvia Plath recipes- yes recipes- in it!

And Then Things Fall Apart tells the story of Keek so will you tell us a little about her? In addition, if you could offer her any advice, what would you say?

I love Keek and feel like she is my Siamese twin. She’s great and has a brain that never stops thinking. She takes the world very seriously but she also knows how to laugh at herself find absurdity in any situation. What I love most about Keek is that she really seems to know who she is and except for a few major lapses, she acts on her guts in a way that inspires me. She is sofa king awesome. I am going to miss her. Advice for her? I don’t know how well Keek takes advice but I would tell her that sometimes, things don’t get better. But you get stronger and can handle whatever the universe throws at you.

In the book, Keek finds comfort in reading in rereading Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar (which is actually one of my favorite books as well). What inspired you to have Keek find solace in reading this book in particular? Is it a favorite of yours?

As a teen I was obsessed with Sylvia Plath’s book of poems, Ariel. It was Ariel and Catcher in the Rye. Those two together really had a huge impact on me as a person and as a writer. What I loved about The Bell Jar was that it was a very serious and adult-targeted book about an 18-year-old girl. A smart, fashionable, serious, sexy, writer in NYC who loses it and attempts suicide. In my own way, I think that I was trying to combine Catcher in the Rye and The Bell Jar. But then Keek took over and that is And Then Things Fall Apart, in a nutshell.

A good portion of Keek’s story takes place at her grandmother’s house while Keek herself has a bad case of chicken pox. What inspired you to set Keek in that setting and condition?

Would you be surprised to learn that when I was 15 I had a severe case of the chicken pox and had to spend most of my illness at my grandma’s house? That was the inspiration for the book. What’s so weird about And Then Things Fall Apart is that it is very much about me and my family and that intense time in my real life. But it is equally entirely and totally made up. Keek is NOT me. The dad is not my dad, The mom not my mom. Matt was so not my boyfriend. Fiction is weird that way.

In the book, Keek has quite a few bad things happen to her (her parent’s break-up, her best friend’s betrayal, etc.), but did you have a particular favorite storyline to write about out of all of them?

I really enjoyed examining the virginity aspects of the story, which are all in flashback. When I was a teenager I was obsessed with sex but I was also terrified of it. I wanted to create a character who was comfortable with her sexuality, comfortable enough to know that she wasn’t ready to actually go through with it. And I wanted to talk about it in hot, sexy, compelling ways.

Do you have a favorite scene or line from And Then Things Fall Apart? If so, would you mind sharing it, or a little about it?

I have a favorite scene and a favorite line and they are in very different places in the book.

Just because I don’t want to “lose” my “virginity” doesn’t mean I wouldn’t mind misplacing it for a while. - I just think that it reads like truth and is kind of witty…

Oh- and then this one makes me crack up EVERY TIME I READ IT!! (And when you get a book ready for publication, you read it at least 1,000 times)

“I have heard the story so many times I could make a YouTube video of it using sock puppets and a Barbie doll.”

I think the scene with Keek and her dad at the beach has particular resonance for me. It was a scene I wrote all at once and hardly a word has changed from it coming out of my brain onto paper to the published version. I think it’s the kind of honest and loving conversation I have always wanted to have with my dad about my own parents’ split and haven’t.

I absolutely adore the cover of the book. What was your reaction when you saw it for the first time?

Oh. My. God. This cover! At first I was delighted that it didn’t have any bodies on it. I was afraid it was going to have some stock photo of a random “quirky” teenager on it. And as I sat with it I fell in deeply in love in an unnatural way with the cover. It says everything about the book in one elegant and beautiful image. Jessica Handler was the designer and I want to mention her name at every opportunity because I want her to feel the love. My deep and unnatural love.

With And Then Things Fall Apart’s release day quickly approaching, do you have any plans on how you’ll spend the day?

I have a fabulous launch party to prepare for! I’ll probably dye my hair in the morning and drink cappuccinos from my beloved Nespresso machine all day long until I’m all wired and a little nauseous. I have to pack up my vintage typewriters, pop my contacts in. Get dressed. Charge my iphone. EEEEEEEEP! I can’t WAIT! And everyone is totally invited. Tuesday, July 26th at Books of Wonder. 18 West 18th Street New York, NY. 6-8pm!

Name three things people would be surprised to know about you. In addition, what’s up next for you book wise? Is there anything else you would like to add?

I am addicted to Bikram yoga (the gross hot sweaty yoga: I love it).
I carry a lucky $2 bill in my wallet.
I first got braces when I was 21 years old.

ARE YOU SHOCKED AND SURPRISED?

What’s next? Another book, of course. Can’t share much about it except that it is getting written…

Thanks so much for a lovely interview and all the love for And Things Fall Apart!

~~~

Thanks so much for stopping by, Arlaina!

About Arlaina: 

Arlaina Tibensky is the world’s oldest teenager. She lives in NYC where she curates the Pen Parentis Literary Salon at the Libertine Library. Her debut YA novel AND THEN THINGS FALL APART, about how Sylvia Plath and an old typewriter usher a reluctant virgin through the worst summer of her freaking life is out July 26, 2011 with Simon & Schuster. Visit her at arlainatibensky.blogspot.com.    

To purchase a copy of And Then Things Fall Apart or add it to your wishlist, head on over to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, and/or Indie Bound.  

My review for And Then Things Fall Apart will be up within the next week or two! 

Waiting on Wednesday (100)

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

And Then Things Fall Apart by Arlaina Tibensky (July 26th 2011)

Keek is not having a good summer. She and her boyfriend have just had their Worst Fight Ever (on the subject of her virginity, nonetheless), she’s been betrayed by a best friend, her parents are splitting up, and her mother is on the other side of the country tending to Keek’s newborn cousin, who may or may not make it home from the hospital. Oh, and Keek’s holed up at her grandmother’s technology-barren house with an abysmal case of the chicken pox. In Keek’s words, “Sofa king annoying.”

With her world collapsing around her, Keek’s only solace comes from rereading Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar and typing on an old electric typewriter. Keek—whose snappy narrative voice is darkly humorous and hysterically blunt—must ultimately decide for herself which relationships to salvage, which to set free, and what it means to fall in love.

This one sounds like it's going to be a funny, heart-warming read! And I love that Keek finds solace from rereading The Bell Jar because I love that book. (If you haven't read it, you MUST. I demand it!) The only bad thing is that it doesn't come out until July. :(

You can find Arlaina's blog here.