Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty
Published: 2001, Broadway
Series: Jessica Darling, #1
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Source: Library ebook
This is my new hobby. I watch my life depart minute by minute. I anticipate the end of everything and anything -- a conversation, a class, track practice, darkness -- only to be left with more clock-watching to take its place. I'm continually waiting for something better that never comes. Maybe it would help if I knew what I wanted.
Jessica Darling, why did I not know about your existence
sooner? I loved both the book and the character reading it right now and can
only imagine how much I would have enjoyed reading about Jessica's experiences
if I were closer to her age.
Life pretty much sucks for Jessica Darling. Her best
friend Hope moved to Tennessee right before Jessica's sixteenth birthday,
leaving Jessica to deal with a family who doesn't understand her, a friend
group she does not want to be a part of, and limited motivation for school and
sports. To top it off, her period has gone MIA and she can't sleep at night.
And so Jessica believes she’s alone, with no one to really confide in as she
goes through another mind-numbing year of adolescence. Through journal entries
and letters to Hope, Jessica chronicles the events in her life from January 1
of her sophomore year to January 1 of her junior year.
Jessica Darling is possibly the most perfectly imperfect
protagonist of any YA contemporary I've read. She is intelligent,
sarcastic, perceptive, and angsty by turn. But who can really blame her? In all
of my reading experiences, she is by far one of the easiest protagonists to
identify with. She’s the high schooler who wants more out of her life, but just
isn’t sure what form that “more” should take.
As Jessica struggles to adjust to a life without Hope
(ha), there is an intense emphasis on the self. Although she is both a star
runner and holds one of the highest GPAs at her school, neither of those
abilities defines her. Jessica defined herself in relation to Hope, her best
friend, and with Hope no longer there, she's not quite sure who she is. She
doesn't really want to be associated with the remaining girls in her friend
group, whom she calls the Clueless Crew. She's not into material comforts like
her her sister; in fact, she's so different from her sister that their
mother has difficulties understanding Jessica. She's not into running
quite enough to satisfy her father. And then there’s Marcus Flutie,
resident druggie and playboy of the school, who keeps running into Jessica and
seems to want something from her. So where does that leave Jessica? More than
anything else, the novel explores Jessica's search for identity and
authenticity.
Many
times I felt doses of ennui along with Jessica over the ridiculous behavior of
the Clueless Crew, frustration over her family’s inability to connect with her,
sadness over the Hope-shaped void in her heart, and curiosity laced with
suspicion over Marcus’ intentions. This is how I like to think back on teenage
years: through a strong investment in a modern teen protagonist, without
actually having to truly re-experience anything myself.
Jessica's search for understanding is not easy. While she
herself cannot be easily pigeonholed into any stereotypes, however, that does
not stop Jessica from assigning stereotypes onto others. Some of them are
warranted, others not so much. Although Jessica does start becoming more
empathetic of others as the year continues, it's a slow process. For such an
intelligent and aware teen, there are times when Jessica is ridiculously naive
and overly critical.
Nevertheless, it is through these relationships that
Jessica forms with others that the novel really shines. While Hope may be
physically absent from the story, her presence is still very much a part of
Jessica’s life. Jessica not only highly values her friendship but is also able
to regularly communicate with her friend. Even as an absent character,
Hope is crucial to Jessica’s development. Shockingly, it is Marcus Flutie, the
other secondary character, who really provides support to Jessica over the
course of the year. Far from being simply another troubled young teen, however,
Jessica and the readers come to realize that Marcus has much more to offer.
And, most important of all, it is through their gradual friendship that Jessica
is able to make some important realizations about herself, the image she projects
to the world, and how she wants to be perceived.
Although the cliffhanger is immensely frustrating, and I
can tell it'll only get worse as the series continues, I still can't help but
root for Jessica and Marcus' relationship. Both have their fair share of flaws,
but every person (especially Jessica, with how her life's been going) deserves
to be with someone who really understands her, and who is willing to help her
become a better person. I think that Marcus can be Jessica's aid to self-improvement,
as she can be his. I guess I have four more books to read before I can tell
whether that happens!
I can finally admit that I understand all the hype
surrounding one book. While I’m not generally the black sheep in regards to
liking/disliking popular books, sometimes the hype stops me from even giving a book a chance. I
am grateful that was not the case here! In Sloppy Firsts, Megan
McCafferty creates a humorous and fresh look at teens through the eyes of the
incomparable Jessica Darling. If for some reason you have yet to read this
book, then I encourage you to do so!
I read Sloppy Firsts as part of a readalong
with the fabulous Courtney, and, wow, was that fun to do. I loved having someone on hand for
discussion. The only negative there was I wanted to devour the book in one
sitting, but we had set strict reading limits for each day, leaving time for
daily discussions. Still, though, it was lots of fun. Now I just need to go
find a copy of Second Helpings!
