A Pickle Pizza
“One night, we were watching Full House instead of Wheel of Fortune, and I heard myself saying, ‘I just worry that I’m a lot like dad.’ Without turning from the screen, she said, ‘You are.’”
Throughout all of Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier, the main character, who is unnamed, struggles with the thought that she might be more similar to her deceased alcoholic father than she would like. She’s an 18 year old pizza delivery girl who, despite being several months pregnant, drinks beer almost every night, and is developing an addiction. She feels suffocated by her supportive and kind boyfriend and mother who are much more excited about the baby than she is. And despite appearing to be witty and sarcastic, she is deeply depressed. That is until she meets Jenny, a middle aged mother who calls the pizza place begging to order a pizza with pickles because it’s the only thing her 8 year old son will eat. The main character quickly becomes obsessed with Jenny, and spirals down a path that could end with the same tragic fate as her father.
The beginning quote shows the deep and complicated relationship the main character has with her father that makes this book so interesting. As the book continues and we learn more about these two, there are lots of similarities that arise. Both her and her father were in a position where they were struggling with an alcohol addiction, a baby on the way, and a partner they love. Both are absent from people’s lives because of their personal struggles. Her father with his wife and daughter, and her with her boyfriend and mother. Both are very blunt and direct. Both are reckless drivers. Both use the shed in the backyard as an escape from their family. These similarities are cleverly sprinkled throughout the story so that you can understand the complicated dynamic that they have without it being explained.
All the characters and their relationships in this book are very well written, the main character and her father being just one example. Kyoung Frazier is very good at describing emotions without telling you how they’re feeling. For example, the first time the protagonist sees Jenny she says this, “the door shut and I stared at it, tried to come up with reasons to knock and bring her back.” This tells you how quickly she has fallen in love with Jenny by showing, not telling. This is so important in the story because most of what we know about who the main character is comes from how she treats other people. Because she is somewhat of an unreliable narrator, we have to rely on her thoughts and actions to form an opinion about her.
Pizza Girl is certainly not a lighthearted read and the second half is especially dark. Without spoiling anything I will say that the ending is not happy, and if you don’t like to read that sort of thing I definitely would not recommend it to you. However it is a very well-written book with unique and flawed characters and an intriguing plot.
Although I had watched several movies with intense drama, I had never encountered anything with a plot so unique and complex. In addition to the plot, I think the author of the novel augments the enigmatic aura by not revealing the protagonist's name and making her hide her inner feelings. Although I might not be reading this novel due to its dark ending, I believe that the book itself has a high value and is worth our attention.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds really interesting. I normally don't like books with dark or sad endings, but the plot sounds fascinating so I might have to make an exception. Reading books with unreliable narrators is always a frustrating but usually worthwile endeavor too. Also, the book seems to deal with difficult/mature topics which can be important and compelling to read.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds incredibly complex and interesting. I think the fact that the main character is unnamed really leaves a lot to the imagination. The complex relationship that the main character has with her dad is also very intriguing as at the same time she likely looks up to him but doesn't want to end up like him. Although I typically don't read stories that are more on the dark side, I would definitely consider reading this.
ReplyDeletePizza Girl sounds like an especially interesting book. Although the main character's father is deceased for all or most of the book, he seems to be one of the main characters. His role is to show the reader what the main character is thinking, how she might act, and what her actions mean. Even though I like happier or more positive books, I'll add this one to my reading list.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds very interesting. I think it's important to have books that talk about the realities of depression. Many books and movies alienate people with mental health issues so having the narrator suffer from depression really shows what is going through their head. I definitely will put this book on my reading list.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a very interesting book. I feel as though it might be a bit confusing at points but I might be wrong. This seems like a very elaborate and interesting story to read about, and the fact that it has a sad ending doesn't stop me from wanting to find out more about this intriguing plot.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a good read! I think it would be interesting to see how she views her father and his actions after she goes through similar experiences as him. Its important for books to portray characters that suffer from alcoholism and depression because people don't often understand why someone might turn to alcohol. I definitely want to check out this book.
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