I had to let a lot of time elapse before I wrote this review because I was afraid that I would sound like a blubbering idiot – tru fax. However, (and this is also true) no matter how much time passes, I still love Anna and the French Kiss as much (if not more) as the first time after I read it. I put up a good resistance, you know. I didn’t read the book that was The Da Vinci Code (without Tom Hanks and the conspiracies) for the young adult book lovers. It is an insanely popular book and the hype is…well, somewhat overwhelming. But in this moment, I can boldly attest to the fact that this time around, the hype is totally well deserved.I don’t normally read romances. I mean, of course I like romance. But not when it is the focal point of the novel. And teenage romances – I have read a lot of Dolly Fiction (Australian books about teenage girls falling in love in the outback or something, think Love Stories as the American counterpart) so I like to think that I have gotten over that phase. What makes Anna so different is its characters.Many times when you read a book, the characters in it seem artificial. Not always in a bad way. What I’m trying to say is that the reader will always perceive the character as a human construct no matter how much development the character undergoes throughout the novel. There’s a certain fictionality to them that is almost impossible to rub off. So while you may get caught up in the adventures of Miss A and Mr. B and their burning passion (and starcrossed love) you are always aware in some part of your brain that these people don’t exist. What sets Anna and the French Kiss apart is that the characters are rendered so wholly, so truthfully that they could be your best friend’s love story or, if you’re very lucky, your own. There is a sincerity to Anna, to Etienne, to all the other minor characters, a realness about them that you can’t help but respond to.Another reason why I love Anna and the French Kiss is because of the writing. Reading it is like going to the market early in the morning and getting the freshest produce. It’s crisp. And the dialogue – I took this class two years ago, Modern British Theater, and we studied some relatively contemporary plays. My professor pointed out passages in a play called The Homecoming by Harold Pinter where the dialogue seems stilted and bookish. You know, when the character talks less like a person having an actual conversation and more like any of Jane Austen’s (or Bronte’s) characters. Anna and the French Kiss doesn’t have that. The dialogue is actually like it occurs between real friends and not made up characters.I’m determined to read all the books mentioned in the book so if anyone has a list compiled, please pass it to me. I have read the Banana Yoshimoto book (Kitchen) mentioned and loved it and, seriously, how awesome is it when people talk about books fondly in novels? The meta just about kills me each and every single time. A person in a book reading a book about a person reading another book. Hah. Also, I feel like visiting Paris now. I think Ms. Perkins should be given recognition by the French government because of how awesome she has made the city seem. There is a certain sense of longing in the way the city is described, like a lover reminiscing about a past mistress. A certain knowledge about the streets, the nooks and the crannies, the air and the gardens – the book makes the city seem beautiful.And finally, the romance. Of course, it has to be discussed. Etienne is just…such a wonderful person. I know he’s a character in a novel but I believe that boys like him exist. Not because he’s so great but because he’s not. He’s flawed as they come but he is cognizant of his flaws and works to get over them. He is vulnerable and afraid to get hurt and he does not treat Anna like she needs to be protected from the world but treats her as a real friend. He is just as confused as Anna is and he is as much the protagonist as Anna is. Most of the times you read a book by a female writer and they totally mess up where the boys are concerned. Sometimes the guy ends up sounding like a teenage girl and sometimes he ends up donning the stereotyped cloak of Hot, Mysterious Boy I Met in Biology (and Who Wants to Bite Me But Doesn’t Cuz He’s My One True Lurve). Etienne, though, will make you sigh. He’ll make you want to fall in love.I know I said in the beginning that Anna and the French Kiss is mostly about romance and it totally is but it is also about growing up far from home, making your home somewhere (or someone) else. It is about finding the courage to be brave even when it hurts. About confrontations, friendships and truths you were too scared to see.I don’t know whether my review did the book any justice but I believe that you should read it. It is just that good.
