About the Book
Title: Grrrls on the Side
Author: Carrie Pack
Date: June 8, 2017
Length: 60,500 words
Publisher: Duet (subdivision of Interlude Press)
Categories: YA, bisexual, 1990s, Riot Grrrl
Synopsis
The year is 1994, and alternative is in. But not for alternative girl Tabitha Denton; she hates her life. She is uninterested in boys, lonely, and sidelined by former friends at her suburban high school. When she picks up a zine at a punk concert, she finds an escape—an advertisement for a Riot Grrrl meetup.
At the meeting, Tabitha finds girls who are more like her and a place to belong. But just as Tabitha is settling in with her new friends and beginning to think she understands herself, eighteen-year-old Jackie Hardwick walks into a meeting and changes her world forever. The out-and-proud Jackie is unlike anyone Tabitha has ever known. As her feelings for Jackie grow, Tabitha begins to learn more about herself and the racial injustices of the punk scene, but to be with Jackie, she must also come to grips with her own privilege and stand up for what’s right.
Purchase Links
Interlude Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Review
This is a fairly easy read, surprisingly light given some of the big themes in the story. Although I think in some ways the story has trouble deciding what it wants to be (YA, nostalgia, an issues book, romance), that was all right with me. This is one that’s meant to be enjoyed for what it is, not for what we wish it would be.
There are a lot of heavy issues brought up in the book: fat antagonism, bullying, homophobia, biphobia, assault, racism, white feminism, sexual maturation. The story doesn’t exactly offer answers to most of those, instead choosing to allow readers to sit with the tension. Readers looking for a more hard-hitting examination of the Riot Grrrl movement won’t find it here. This is one person’s story about coming of age at a particular time and during a particular feminist movement.
And that’s what I liked about it. Tabitha, the main character, is younger than I was, but I can still relate to many of her feelings and experiences. There are times when she makes mistakes, and times when others violate her boundaries. There’s a realism in how the characters interact in different situations. Instead of correcting it, we’re challenged to see it for what it is and do better.
That makes this at times an uncomfortable read. Nearly 25 years on from the events in the novel, we’re still learning from the mistakes of past eras. It’s clear this book is intended for a particular audience, and as such, I hope it reaches those people. Whether or not it’s relatable for today’s youth, I can’t say. It’s closer to being a book with young adult characters than a book for young adults.
Still, it’s an enjoyable story. The pacing felt right to me, and it was fun to see that era from a different perspective than mine in those years. I was glad to have a story with a fat protagonist that didn’t revolve around her trying to lose weight or developing her self-worth through being in a relationship. I was also glad to see a teenage character behaving like a teenager, even if she wasn’t always making good choices.
For a trip down memory lane, a main character worth rooting for, and an easy, enjoyable read, this gets 10/10 fountain pens.
About the Author
Never one for following the “rules,” Carrie Pack is a published author of books in multiple genres, including Designs on You and In the Present Tense. Her novels focus on characters finding themselves in their own time—something she experienced for herself when she came out as bisexual recently. She’s passionate about positive representation in her writing and has been a feminist before she knew what the word meant, thanks to a progressive and civic-minded grandmother. Coincidentally that’s also where she got her love of red lipstick and desserts. Carrie lives in Florida, or as she likes to call it, “America’s Wang.”
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