98. Kind of a Big Deal

Kind of a Big Deal. Shannon Hale. 2020. [August] 304 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: It began, predictably, with a dream.

Premise/plot: Josie Sergakis (aka Josie Pie) was--emphasis on past tense--kind of a big deal in high school. Encouraged by the drama teacher to drop out of school her senior year--yes, you read that correctly--she tried for several months to make it onto Broadway. Out of desperation, this high school dropout gets a job as a nanny. The family ends up moving to Montana which is where this novel opens. Mia (the child under Josie's care) and Josie together in Montana while the mother (Victoria) flits about here, there, everywhere.

Josie's adventures--or MISadventures rather--begin when she visits a bookshop.

The premise of this one is intriguing. Josie begins reading a book...and finds herself IN the book. The characters of the book resemble her acquaintances, friends, and family--faces from her past and present. Including the employees of the book shop. Including the other nannies at the park. Including her now-distant boyfriend. (Are they together? not together?)

This happens with every book Josie reads. As Josie tries out many, many genres and sub-genres, she learns a little about life and love....but will her life lessons come at the cost of her life?

My thought: This book has some BRUTAL reviews on GoodReads. I myself was tempted to quit reading this one...after several boring set-up chapters where little happened. But by the time she jumped into her second book, I was HOOKED.

This is without a doubt a premise driven novel. It is a bit all over the place. It is at times a COMEDY--whether you laugh or groan, well, that may be up to you and your personal taste. It is at times a terrifying DRAMA. Think TWILIGHT ZONE. Think INCEPTION. This novel has serious creepy vibes. But the transition from one to the other is slow. So readers may be tempted to give up before this book truly starts to shine.

I would recommend this one to
a) readers with a sense of humor about genres and sub-genres that can LAUGH at genre-specific tropes or cliches.
b) readers who LOVE Inception and/or The Twilight Zone
c) readers who like their psychological thrillers to be more on the subtle side
d) readers who are patient in waiting for rewards for their efforts.

There are so many deliciously creepy bits that I would love to share...but that would be full of spoilers. But I will share with you two quotes from bits that happen within the books she reads.

This one is from a YA post-apocalyptic romance novel:

“Hatchet? Okay. Nice to meet you. Hatchet.”

Wait … why did he say human? Did he talk to any nonhumans?

Maybe he talked to his hatchet.

She reached out to shake his hand. He slowly reached back, watching her hand as if expecting it to turn into a snake. When they finally touched, he sighed.

“I don’t think I know how to be a human being anymore.”

“It’s okay,” she said. “We all forget sometimes.”

As she said the words, she felt as if she really were talking to Justin, and her heart kind of folded in on itself. We all forget sometimes … to be human, to be decent to each other, to be in love … She blinked away the sting of threatening tears. He was still holding her hand but reluctantly let it go.

“Remember how people used to worry that personal robots and virtual-reality games were isolating humans from each other?” Hatchet said.

“Yeah, I remember!” Josie said with a forced laugh. “I mean, I do, right? At least … I probably have amnesia.”

Hatchet nodded knowingly. “From the stress.”

This one is from an adult romance, Love in the Spotlight. This one has the heroine starring in a musical production of A Scarlet Letter. They've added a porcupine to the cast...among other things!

Without a word he dropped the newspaper on her lap. It was the Arts section of the Village Voice.

Until tonight, I had studiously avoided Scarlet! at the Dorothy Gish Theatre, based on my esteemed colleagues’ scathing reviews. When, against my will and better judgment, I reluctantly attended tonight, what a shock to discover that, just a few days after the premiere, the show’s star, two-time Tony nominee Gloria Astor (High Society, Boatshow!) was replaced with Josie Pie, a novice chorus girl.

Now, I have a gentle message to my fellow critics. Fellas, you overlooked a crucial fact: Scarlet!

is a comedy. This show is a rollicking, laugh-a-second, ridiculous gem that pokes fun at everything: classic literature, Puritans, modern audiences, and even Broadway itself. Hester Prynne rises up on wires for no reason other than it’s Broadway and something should fly, right?

The Scarlet Letter is a classic novel best known for its egregious number of symbols. Scarlet! cleverly takes those symbols and blows them up till you can see their ridiculousness from the third balcony. Of particular note is the moment when Hester Prynne takes to the scaffold near the end of act three. Some of the townsfolk mock her until … the stage rises up on a previously hidden scaffold, higher than Hester. You see, the town itself is the real scaffold! The faux earnestness of the play on symbols is hilarious. In fact it was Josie Pie’s perpetually bewildered Hester, amazed at all the nonsense around her, that really drew the laughs.

The reports of Scarlet!’s death are greatly exaggerated. And if I don’t see Josie Pie’s name among the Tony nominees, I will dim Broadway’s lights myself.

Though the book started extremely slowly...I found myself hooked by the end.  

 

I loved that we see Josie's reading list (books mentioned) and mini-reviews at the end of the novel. We even get to see the BOOK COVERS.

FEMURS IN THE ATTIC

This is book fourteen in the series. At what point is someone going to say, “Hey, Emma, there sure are a lot of murders happening in your high school.”

   

THE TREMBLING

WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU—DO NOT READ THIS!!! (note to my past self after three sleepless nights)

   

DEPRESSION, DEATH, AND NARWALS

DNF*

   

VALENTINE’S DAY

So romantic! I want to live in this book! JK. You’d have to be some kind of dark. minded non-human to want to live in this. I mean, it is a really good read, but it’s not going to be what you’d expect, unless you’re expecting bleak survivalist horror with a splash of romance and a lot of post-mortem goo.

*DNF = did not finish

   

THE HIGHWAYMAN CAME RIDING

I didn’t know I was a tawdry romance kind of a gal, but this book proved me wrong. I read it aloud to my BF and he also enjoyed.:)

   

GREEK MYTHOLOGY

Informative. This book is definitely for you if you like droughts, towels, firewood, fossils, and cereal without milk.

   

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES

I loved it when I was in middle school, and I love it now too, though in a different way because I’m a different person. It’s so cool how books grow up with us.

LAVENDER GARCÍA AND THE UNEXPECTED CANADIAN SEMESTER

I really liked this book—great characters, great dialogue—but it has way more medical drama than the cover let on. SPOILER: Am I the only one who didn’t know that “Canadian Semester” is a kind of necrotic fungus???

   

THE NAUSEOUS LIFE

DNF

   

HEIR OF RUST AND HORNETS

So enchanting and exciting and fun! Also, the second book in a trilogy apparently! Hey, Josie, maybe read book jackets more carefully before jumping in!

   

LADY JUSTICE (Issue #318)

I’ve read this entire series from the beginning, but this issue remains my favorite. For personal reasons.

   

BLEEDING FROM OUR EYEBALLS

DNF. TBH, DNStart.

   

LOVE IN THE SPOTLIGHT

It may look bland and old-fashioned, but this is honestly a book I could live in. At least, if I could reimagine a few parts …

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