Review: Something Borrowed . Emily Giffin
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Something Borrowed
By Emily Giffin
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Chick-Lit has reached an undeniable craze. Everywhere you turn there's an amazing slew of pinks and blues and stick figures adorned in snazzy, trendy outfits. All the while though, storylines seem remarkably similar to one another. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin is just another, though there are some perks to what could be classified as another story about a "strong, independent" girl in a big metropolitan city.
The plot of the story is as follows: girl and best friend grow up in tiny, suburban city, the boondocks if you will. Girl and Best friend move to New York for different reasons. Girl meets Boy. Girl and Boy becomes friends. Boy meets Best friend. Boy and Best friend are engaged. Girl sleeps with Boy and finds herself 'surprisingly' in love with Boy. The story is a little bit cliche and a little bit predictable, but the writing is superb. Rarely do you see the presentation of the adulteress as in this case, but rather the victim. And rarely are you led to sympathize with the "homewrecker" as some may be inclined to call her. But here is a witty story about a girl who sleeps with her best friends fiance and yet you can't help but root for her all the way through.
At the same time, despite the unusual and unique presentation of an often two-sided story, the book itself could use some work. The Girl, Rachel, is flat, without growth or dimension throughout the story, leaving the reader ambiguous on whether or not she is to be loved or hated. The story, told through the perspective of Rachel doesn't give the sense it is being told in a first person, a result of her flat personality. Instead the first person narrative gives little for the readers to extricate on Rachel, but instead are dealt a third person omniscient feel although it is clearly stated as "I". Techniques such as foreshadowing and plot twists could add to the story. Moments are presented where readers expect something to happen of it, but the author disappoints by not taking advantage of it. As mentioned earlier, the direction of the story is predictable, thus leaving readers desiring much much more, although of course there is the expected, though not so fairy tale, happy ending.
Giffin's next novel, Something Blue, has already been released. A sequel of sorts that details Darcy a.k.a. Best friend's journey following her fiance's betrayal and another unexpected turn of events that occur in Something Borrowed. All in all, a fun and light read, but if you're looking for something with depth and insight, this might not be the book for you.