JaReview: Saving Francesca

I think I’ve overdosed on reading. I was going through three to five books a week. And this week, I have yet to finish one. But the last book I read, Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta, was fun. I thoroughly enjoyed it, though I still can’t figure out exactly why.

The story centers on a girl, Francesca, whose mother is suffering a nervous breakdown. She has to deal with the repercussions of essentially losing someone who has been a huge driving factor in her life. And she struggles to find not only her place at home but also her place in mostly-boys school.

Melina Marchetta writes relationships well. I think I’ve said that about all her books. Some times there’s already a strong relationship in place (like a familial bond). Other times there’s a slow build up to a life altering relationship (that’s not necessarily romantic). Saving Francesca is no exception.

At the core, Francesca reluctantly develops a friendship with five people who become a tight knit group. Not all of them set out wanting to be friends. In fact a few seemed avidly against it. But that made it all the more entertaining because they were resistant to change, commitment phobic (“I don’t like using the f label”) and a little horrified at the prospect of being friends (“This doesn’t mean we have to be friends with him, right?”). Marchetta takes these six vastly different individuals and creates this intricate bond that’s solid and dependable yet maintains snark and avoids getting too touchy feely.

And of course there’s Will Trombal, Francesca’s pashing partner. After I finished, I went back and re-read all the Will scenes, trying to get a better grip on his character. He struck me as a bit bipolar the first time around. He seemed boring, flat and unable to communicate with any girl at times. Then at other times he would be cocky and aggressive (like preventing Francesca to go to the rugby match). But in rereading it the second time, I think that a large part of his strangeness Francesca felt was because of her. Through much of the book, she confuses him, throws him into emotional turmoil. I think he’s not nice, eloquent or charming around her because she makes him lose his wits.

She turns him around so much; he just reacts and functions instinctively. Just like in their pashing scene. Originally I thought it was the most unromantic first kiss in the history of teen lit. My initial reaction was – Cringe! Ew! But if you look at it with the point of view that for him, Francesca emotionally brings him to his knees. There’s no façade with her and he acts on instinct. Then it’s a bit less gross.

There were so many awesome male characters in the book besides Will. Thomas Mackee has at least two moments that were just…awesome. I would say he’s a bit like Joey (from Friends), really good comedy relief. But then he’s got depth too, as evidenced by a singular moment (in the library…hehe).

But I absolutely love her father in the book. “Just tell me where you are.” That’s got to be one of the bestest lines. Ever. It’s interesting because (much like Alibrandi) the story is told for her point of view. And so you end up viewing things certain ways. Like you think the dad’s a big jerk and doesn’t really love them, etc etc, but near the end its obvious what his real feelings are.

So I guess I was able to hash out exactly why I liked Saving Francesca so much. Tight-knit bonds between friends. Awesome lines. Great snarky moments. And an intense and interesting pashing partner. It totally hooked me.

~J~