The cover of this book just screams “read me!” I want a poster of it, and a pair of those cute bunny slippers!
Looks are a little deceiving in the case of An Off Year, by Claire Zulkey, however. Don’t get me wrong, this story captures, with uncanny accuracy and insight, the anxiety and malaise that surrounds the transition from high school to college (and even the transition from college to adult life). The safety nets, expectations and pre-formed roles, and the familiarity of it all are yanked back and we either emerge, blinking and feeling our way, or we crawl back under the covers and try to stop the passage of time.
That’s what happens to Cecily; her dad is dropping her off at her dorm to start college at a small liberal arts school in Indiana and she decides, suddenly and uncharacteristically, that she can’t go through with it. They get back in the car, drive home without talking much, and Cecily spends the next 7 months sinking deeper into the gray expanse of self-doubt and depression. Faced with small, but perfectly timed, “prescriptions” from her therapist: “Rx – See @ least 1 friend,” Cecily starts to think about who she is, what she wants, and what’s she’s afraid of. As her year off comes to a close and she has to decide if she’s going to try the college-thing or not, Cecily realizes that she will be OK, no matter what happens.
At times funny and wise, An Off Year is also somewhat dark and gloomy. It’s hard to face the fact that life is full of unknowable, uncontrollable things (and people), but at the same time, Cecily (and the reader) start look forward to those opportunities. Zulkey lays these lessons and pearls of wisdom on Cecily and the reader a little heavy-handedly at times, but like that wise big sister or older friend, you know she’s doing it out of love.
- Posted by Cori