Exceeded Expectations

When I received a copy of Mary Gaitskill’s Veronica, I assumed that this book would fall under the category of “chick lit.” While I’m sure that chick lit has its own merits (millions of women on subways can’t be wrong), it’s not my style. However, once I started reading Veronica, I found myself being drawn into Alison’s heady experiences and complicated relationships. Gaitskill taps into the universal longing for exotic, dangerous sensations. Alison and Veronica are nothing like me; nevertheless, I empathized with them. While I stumbled over the sometimes inpenetrable shards of Gaitskill’s narrative style, I happily concede that Veronica is far from a frivolous read.

-Pam C. (Dartmouth)