Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick (review)

When a teacher gives high school junior Nanette O’Hare a copy of his favorite book from his teenage years, she knows she’s found a kindred spirit, and she’s thrilled when he introduces her to the book’s author, Nigel Booker. Inspired by the book’s disaffected teen character and carried away by the freedom he seems to represent, she attempts to kiss her teacher, a mistake that marks the beginning of a downward spiral in her life: the teacher leaves the school, Nanette quits soccer and cuts off her team friendships, and her father moves out. She finds solace in her friendship with Booker, and he plays matchmaker by introducing her to Alex, another young fan whom he has befriended. Alex was once bullied but now puts his newly developed bulk to use defending kids who remind him of his younger self, and he and Nanette quickly become involved. When he punches the father of a bully and gets arrested, Nanette melts down, and her parents finally start to pay attention to her angst, which has gotten out of control. This is literary fiction about the power of literary fiction, but there is a whiff of irony to the proceedings, as Booker turns out to be no wiser or more temperate than an average teenager, and all of Alex’s attempts at grand and romantic gestures end in tragedy. Nanette’s therapy-inspired experiment of referring to herself in third person is as fascinating yet annoying in the storytelling as it would be in real life; the estrangement it produces will give readers lots to chew on as they join Nanette in sorting out angst from general privileged malaise.