Gritty?

I’m about halfway through Veronica and honestly I’m quite undecided on whether I like it or not. I won’t go so far as to say its compelling- I feel like I’m reading it simply to finish it. Also, I liked how it had a sort of “gritty” feeling to it, not like ordinary “chick lit”, but I felt like this book was trying too hard to be gritty. It just feels fake. Has anyone read Dave Eggers “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius”? I feel like this book is sort of trying to be a female version of “A Heartbre…”, except it does not succeed in showing the dirty side of reality like “A Heartbre…” does. I think this book would be successful if it relied a little less on the metaphors and slimy descriptions to illustrate reality. After all, true life isn’t peachy all the time.

Thanks,

Alicia M. (College Misericordia)