Girl meets boy. Girl falls for boy. Girl gets dumped by boy. Girl realizes that singlehood is not the end of the world. Pretty standard stuff. Although most teenage romance novels descend into triteness when following this formula, Daria Snadowsky's "Anatomy of a Boyfriend" is compelling in its honesty and its ability to evoke empathy from the reader who has gone through those experiences and can live vicariously through the main character, Dominique.
Dominique, or "Dom," is a smart, red-haired senior in high school who thinks only about maintaining her top grades, helping her team win Science Quiz and becoming a doctor. Her well-worn copy of "Gray's Anatomy" and her fastest time record for Operation make her an endearing character. She is quite likeable, far from the bratty Georgia Nicholson of the "Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging" series. Bookish students will find it easy to relate to her personality and experiences. Like them, Dom is incredibly diligent; that, in addition to her deep interest in biology, comprises the ingredients for admittance to her dream school, Stanford University. This, finally, is where the plot twist comes, as Dom's priorities are radically changed.
When she attends a football game at the urging of her best friend, Dom falls on her face and, in doing so, falls for Wesley Gershwin, an attractive track star. The courtship begins as they exchange Instant Messages and e-mails, which Dom crafts carefully with up to 15 revisions so that they will sound witty and breezy. Sound familiar? The couple proceeds to traverse the well-trodden path and plot of relationships as they share myriad firsts. Suddenly, Dom does not care so much about Stanford-especially when she finds out that Wes wants to go to NYU. When April comes, she must decide to attend the college that is right for her, or the college with Mr. Right. Such a classic dilemma relevant to so many first-years -and here it finally is in a teen angst novel.
Dom's situation and her feelings, in particular, are easy to empathize with and that is the chief strength of "Anatomy of a Boyfriend." Snadowsky has a somewhat poetic and surprisingly apt way of describing Dom's thoughts and emotions: "I try again to concentrate on my paper, but every word I read or write reminds me in some twisted, far-fetched way of Wes. 'Parallel structure' makes me think of his perfect coordination as he runs. So does 'onomatopoeia.' I swear I can hear the whisper of his sneakers slamming into the asphalt every time I speak his name. Gersh-Win-Gersh-Win-Gersh-Win-Gersh-Win." Classic feelings with which young readers can identify, comparable to when they scribble the names of their crushes across their notebooks.
Snadowsky's writing is so honest. The candor she uses to describe physical and psychological intimacy is refreshing, almost unheard of in young adult fiction that generally deals with innocent first kisses between adolescents. Dom's journey of sexual discovery is handled in a mature fashion, but it can be fun and even kind of sexy. Her personal thoughts are laid bare on the page, separated by mere quotation marks as she says one thing and means another. She recognizes when she is emotional or unreasonable, chirpily letting herself out of Wes' apartment because he has practice in the morning though she would much rather stay.
The language is clever at times-college "crapplications" and "my winter break has turned into a winter breakup"-that satisfies a reader's appreciation for wordplay. On occasion, though, the dialogue is a little too composed for teenagers. Still, the use of IMs, e-mails and the occasional clocked times like those in diary books give this novel a hip, modern feel. "Anatomy of a Boyfriend" is fairly fast-paced-think Dan Brown with his short chapters-that is appropriate for the young adult genre.
Finally, Snadowsky ingratiates herself with Amherst students because Amy, Dom's supportive though promiscuous best friend, goes to the College. Readers here will chuckle knowingly when she sends e-mails from Fayerweather and wonder where she is dorming on campus.
"Anatomy of a Boyfriend" is ultimately a predictable, but enjoyable, read for its frank and accurate portrayal of the highs and lows of that first serious relationship, with which young readers can easily relate. The book offers hope for the heartbroken, promising that there will be another Wes, or maybe even a Westley, who will do as you wish.