Penelope

June 4, 2012
Harrington’s debut is a wryly funny bildungsroman chronicling the titular character’s freshman year at Harvard, and all the supplementary standard collegiate fare—drunken parties and regrettable hookups, pretentious extracurriculars, friends with and without benefits, an incessant pressure to succeed, and the #1 question: Who am I? Relatively plotless, the novel still works in a meandering, searching way. Penelope is sweet but socially awkward, and woefully prone to let little things spiral out of control—during a drunken dance, a boy kisses Penelope, “mostly with his incisors,” before vomiting on her shoes; and a favor for a roommate leads to a long-term commitment to a stage production of Caligula. While navigating the perilous social tides of the sea of her privileged peers, Penelope’s heart floats between Ted, whose romantic involvement with Penelope’s friend Catherine is ill-defined, and eccentric Gustav, who uses words like “darling” and “bourgeois,” and prides himself on being “as primed for disease as an Indian.” Penelope’s candidly deadpan neuroses provide plenty of humor, and while the well-off kids of Harvard Yard might seem too aloof, in Harrington’s hands they’re entertaining company. Agent: Jane Finigan, Lutyens & Rubinstein.

June 1, 2012
Penelope O'Shaughnessy, an incoming Harvard freshman of average height and lank hair, arrives on campus to meet her roommates: hasty puddingpunching Emma and genius Lan, whose main focus in life appears to be toilet training her illegally housed cat. Socially awkward Penelope has trouble making friends, but late-night booty calls with bon motspouting Gustav help keep things interesting. From the Harvard-Yale game to exclusive social clubs to copious amounts of homework (the North Star that everything turned to), Penelope experiences all that makes Harvard prestigious. Debut author Harrington, herself a recent Harvard grad, is well equipped to lead readers behind the ivy-covered walls. Although her dialogue is stiffly delivered at times (she uses few contractions), it serves to heighten the awkwardness of the characters. Penelope seems a rather dull girl at first, but she comes into her own through deadpan one-liners and witty repartee with Gustav, which are easily the best scenes in the book. Ultimately, this clever parody of Harvard pretentiousness may leave many readers thankful they weren't smart enough to get in.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)