Status
Available
Genres
Publication
Ember (2013), Edition: Reprint, 256 pages
Description
Romance. Young Adult Fiction. HTML: "Smart, honest and full of achingly real characters. And it made me laugh. What else would you want in a book?". "Charged, authentic, and awkward . . . The realistic situations and questions will stay with readers.". HTML: Love is awkward, as fans of Sarah Dessen and E. Lockhart well know. Funny and heartbreaking in equal measure, this grocery store romance was a Morris Award Finalist for Best YA debut. "Smart, honest and full of achingly real characters. And it made me laugh. What else would you want in a book?" --Melina Marchetta, Printz Award-winning author From the moment Amelia sets eyes on Chris, she is a goner. Lost. Sunk. Head over heels infatuated with him. It's problematic, since Chris, 21, is a sophisticated university student, while Amelia, 15, is 15. Amelia isn't stupid. She knows it's not gonna happen. So she plays it cool around Chris--at least, as cool as she can. Working checkout together at the local supermarket, they strike up a friendship: swapping life stories, bantering about everything from classic books to B movies, and cataloging the many injustices of growing up. As time goes on, Amelia's crush doesn't seem so one-sided anymore. But if Chris likes her back, what then? Can two people in such different places in life really be together? Through a year of befuddling firsts--first love, first job, first party, and first hangover--debut author Laura Buzo shows how the things that break your heart can still crack you up. "A sweet and scathingly funny love story." --Kirkus, Starred Review From the Hardcover edition..… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member stephxsu
Amelia has found the perfect guy. Her coworker Chris is smart, funny, charming, and sensitive. There’s only one problem: Amelia is 15. Chris is 21.
Still, Amelia continues to talk to Chris in and out of work at the Coles supermarket—upon which Chris bestows the tongue-in-cheek nickname “The
How I wanted to like LOVE AND OTHER PERISHABLE ITEMS more than I did! This was such a good insight into a 15-year-old girl’s mindset, but alas, a distinct lack of plot and, subsequently, a complete inattention to pacing meant that I did not enjoy this as much as I had wanted to.
I very much appreciated that LOVE AND OTHER PERISHABLE ITEMS acknowledged the fact that 15-year-old girls don’t think about guys all the time; that, in fact, 15-year-old girls are in that great Land of Potential where all of their realizations about life and relationships are insightful and significant. Amelia, while a little bland in personality in my opinion, was nevertheless a smart girl, interested and opinionated in a variety of topics from the outcomes of Victorian novels to modern feminism. While her thoughts certainly cannot match the breadth and depth of university-educated students, I liked that it showed she had the potential to be a conscientious and creative older person, even when I didn’t like how unhealthily obsessed she was with Chris.
Alternating sections featuring long parts of Chris’ journal provided a necessary look into Chris and revealed a confused and empathic depth to him that Amelia’s worshipful descriptions of him could not. Like Amelia, Chris, too, will grow into a great adult, well read and thoughtful and devoted. The parts of this book that resonated particularly with me were when Chris and Amelia talked about family dynamics, how you can hate and love them at the same time, and how much control you really have over their contentedness.
I suppose that my lukewarm feelings toward this book were a matter of personal taste. Buzo really knows her characters and their mindsets at their particular ages. Whether it’s because I thought about different things at their ages or because I think about different things now, I finished LOVE AND PERISHABLE ITEMS with an approving nod but not much more.
Still, Amelia continues to talk to Chris in and out of work at the Coles supermarket—upon which Chris bestows the tongue-in-cheek nickname “The
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Land of Dreams”—and dreams that Chris likes her back. But can their compatibility overcome their drastic age difference, not to mention Chris’ personal problems?How I wanted to like LOVE AND OTHER PERISHABLE ITEMS more than I did! This was such a good insight into a 15-year-old girl’s mindset, but alas, a distinct lack of plot and, subsequently, a complete inattention to pacing meant that I did not enjoy this as much as I had wanted to.
I very much appreciated that LOVE AND OTHER PERISHABLE ITEMS acknowledged the fact that 15-year-old girls don’t think about guys all the time; that, in fact, 15-year-old girls are in that great Land of Potential where all of their realizations about life and relationships are insightful and significant. Amelia, while a little bland in personality in my opinion, was nevertheless a smart girl, interested and opinionated in a variety of topics from the outcomes of Victorian novels to modern feminism. While her thoughts certainly cannot match the breadth and depth of university-educated students, I liked that it showed she had the potential to be a conscientious and creative older person, even when I didn’t like how unhealthily obsessed she was with Chris.
Alternating sections featuring long parts of Chris’ journal provided a necessary look into Chris and revealed a confused and empathic depth to him that Amelia’s worshipful descriptions of him could not. Like Amelia, Chris, too, will grow into a great adult, well read and thoughtful and devoted. The parts of this book that resonated particularly with me were when Chris and Amelia talked about family dynamics, how you can hate and love them at the same time, and how much control you really have over their contentedness.
I suppose that my lukewarm feelings toward this book were a matter of personal taste. Buzo really knows her characters and their mindsets at their particular ages. Whether it’s because I thought about different things at their ages or because I think about different things now, I finished LOVE AND PERISHABLE ITEMS with an approving nod but not much more.
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LibraryThing member brandileigh2003
The dual narrative worked well for this book though at first I wasn't so sold. But it gives a unique flavor to the book. I got a sense of both of the characters but not so much of how their stories meet. This was the point of the story that didn't have me enraptured. I didn't have the patience to
Amelia showed us a young and impressionable mind but a setting one at that. I like that she had other interests and that she wanted to think for herself. As for Chris, getting in his mind was also entertaining. Seeing what he dealt with and how he processed things, as well as how he actually saw Amelia compared to how she thought he saw her.
I also like how this book captured being young and in love, especially in a love that you know you can't have.
You could see Amelia growing and learning in front of your eyes, and the character development was great to watch.
While this wasn't my favorite contemporary it was a pleasant enough read.
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really see how they connected at the beginning, it felt like I was slushing through, especially the sections from Chris. Amelia showed us a young and impressionable mind but a setting one at that. I like that she had other interests and that she wanted to think for herself. As for Chris, getting in his mind was also entertaining. Seeing what he dealt with and how he processed things, as well as how he actually saw Amelia compared to how she thought he saw her.
I also like how this book captured being young and in love, especially in a love that you know you can't have.
You could see Amelia growing and learning in front of your eyes, and the character development was great to watch.
While this wasn't my favorite contemporary it was a pleasant enough read.
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LibraryThing member booktwirps
Fifteen-year-old Amelia had no idea that when she started work at her local supermarket that she would fall head over heels for Chris, the funny, hot, awesome University student who trains her. Amelia knows it’s stupid to think Chris would ever want someone like her. She’s very average in
Told in alternating viewpoints with narrative from Amelia and peppered with journal entries from Chris, Love & Other Perishable Items was a refreshing little contemporary romance that I enjoyed very much.
The story is pretty simple and not very complicated. There are no gimmicks here, just a straight-forward story of a love-struck fifteen-year-old crushing on the charming, funny, cute, older boy she works with. I loved Amelia’s voice. She’s witty, hopeful, and a little awkward. She didn’t feel totally original, but she wasn’t an all out cliché either. It was fun getting to know her, and I really felt for her.
Adding in Chris’ self-deprecating journal entries from his “purple notebook” was a nice touch. It really gives the reader a chance to get to know the object of Amelia’s affections by giving us a glimpse into his deepest thoughts in a different sort of way. Chris is going through a lot personally, mainly a recent breakup with the love of his life, and he’s dealing with it in rather unhealthy ways. He’s a bit of a slacker, a pretty big partier and deals with it all by being a bit crass and quite the smart ass. I actually found myself wanting to read more from his POV.
What was really nice was that we would see a scene where Chris does something that makes Amelia think he might actually like her, and then a bit later we read an entry from Chris “purple notebook” and find out what he was actually thinking or what his real intentions were.
The writing is very fluid, and the story is very fun. Do Chris and Amelia defy societies rules, and end up together? I’ll never tell, but I would encourage you to read it and find out. You’ll have a lot of fun doing so.
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comparison to a lot of the other, older and slightly more edgy girls that work with them, plus Chris is twenty-one. It would be stupid of her to think that he could ever be interested in her, but that doesn’t stop her from dreaming, and wishing that one day, Chris will feel the same.Told in alternating viewpoints with narrative from Amelia and peppered with journal entries from Chris, Love & Other Perishable Items was a refreshing little contemporary romance that I enjoyed very much.
The story is pretty simple and not very complicated. There are no gimmicks here, just a straight-forward story of a love-struck fifteen-year-old crushing on the charming, funny, cute, older boy she works with. I loved Amelia’s voice. She’s witty, hopeful, and a little awkward. She didn’t feel totally original, but she wasn’t an all out cliché either. It was fun getting to know her, and I really felt for her.
Adding in Chris’ self-deprecating journal entries from his “purple notebook” was a nice touch. It really gives the reader a chance to get to know the object of Amelia’s affections by giving us a glimpse into his deepest thoughts in a different sort of way. Chris is going through a lot personally, mainly a recent breakup with the love of his life, and he’s dealing with it in rather unhealthy ways. He’s a bit of a slacker, a pretty big partier and deals with it all by being a bit crass and quite the smart ass. I actually found myself wanting to read more from his POV.
What was really nice was that we would see a scene where Chris does something that makes Amelia think he might actually like her, and then a bit later we read an entry from Chris “purple notebook” and find out what he was actually thinking or what his real intentions were.
The writing is very fluid, and the story is very fun. Do Chris and Amelia defy societies rules, and end up together? I’ll never tell, but I would encourage you to read it and find out. You’ll have a lot of fun doing so.
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LibraryThing member AyleeArgh
In short: Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo is an entertaining read that is refreshing in its simplicity.
Who knew I could be kept so entertained with a book in which nothing much happens? Love and Other Perishable Items is a book about the day-to-day life of 15-year-old Amelia working
Laura Buzo has created a vibrant cast of fun characters in Love and Other Perishable Items. I found Amelia to be incredibly endearing and quite sensible for her age. And it was not hard to see why she falls so hard for the charming Chris, who treats her as no guy has ever treated her before – but is interested in girls who are completely different from her. I could totally relate to Amelia’s frustrations that Chris only ever seems interested in girls who either have no substance or who don’t return his interest. But despite Chris’ sometimes douchey moments and despite their age difference, I still found that I was rooting for Amelia and Chris to work out some way to be together. Laura Buzo handles the situation expertly and I thought the ending was perfect in its realism.
Love and Other Perishable Items is told through a dual narrative – a sort of he-said she-said manner of storytelling in which Amelia gets her side of the story told and then we hear the same exact events again, but told through Chris’ journal entries this time. So not only does nothing remarkable ever happen in the plot, but we get to hear these unremarkable plot points told twice – and it was somehow still entertaining! I thought that was impressive. Laura Buzo has a sort of subtle humour in her writing that is fun to read and makes Love and Other Perishable Items compulsively readable.
Overall, though there was nothing particularly profound about Love and Other Perishable Items, that’s okay because there doesn’t need to be and it was still an enjoyable read anyway.
Who knew I could be kept so entertained with a book in which nothing much happens? Love and Other Perishable Items is a book about the day-to-day life of 15-year-old Amelia working
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part-time as a cashier in a grocery store and crushing on her 21-year-old coworker, Chris. Sometimes it’s perfectly nice and refreshing to read something so normal and inconsequential – especially since I read Love and Other Perishable Items right after finishing a particularly intense and heavy book.Laura Buzo has created a vibrant cast of fun characters in Love and Other Perishable Items. I found Amelia to be incredibly endearing and quite sensible for her age. And it was not hard to see why she falls so hard for the charming Chris, who treats her as no guy has ever treated her before – but is interested in girls who are completely different from her. I could totally relate to Amelia’s frustrations that Chris only ever seems interested in girls who either have no substance or who don’t return his interest. But despite Chris’ sometimes douchey moments and despite their age difference, I still found that I was rooting for Amelia and Chris to work out some way to be together. Laura Buzo handles the situation expertly and I thought the ending was perfect in its realism.
Love and Other Perishable Items is told through a dual narrative – a sort of he-said she-said manner of storytelling in which Amelia gets her side of the story told and then we hear the same exact events again, but told through Chris’ journal entries this time. So not only does nothing remarkable ever happen in the plot, but we get to hear these unremarkable plot points told twice – and it was somehow still entertaining! I thought that was impressive. Laura Buzo has a sort of subtle humour in her writing that is fun to read and makes Love and Other Perishable Items compulsively readable.
Overall, though there was nothing particularly profound about Love and Other Perishable Items, that’s okay because there doesn’t need to be and it was still an enjoyable read anyway.
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LibraryThing member foggidawn
Ever since Amelia started working a part-time job at the local supermarket, she's been in love with her coworker Chris. He's sweet and funny and they have great conversations about literature and philosophy and life in general. She knows they would be perfect for each other. The problem? Amelia is
The story is told from both viewpoints, and does a great job of showcasing each character's complicated feelings about the other. Even with the age difference, you find yourself rooting for them, or wishing that they had met at a point in their lives when a six-year difference was less of a big deal. Do they find a way to make it work? Well, that would be telling . . .
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15. . . and Chris is 21.The story is told from both viewpoints, and does a great job of showcasing each character's complicated feelings about the other. Even with the age difference, you find yourself rooting for them, or wishing that they had met at a point in their lives when a six-year difference was less of a big deal. Do they find a way to make it work? Well, that would be telling . . .
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LibraryThing member akmargie
Very honest and bittersweet look at being young and being in love. I thought the two storylines worked well together. The author did a good job of layering events so they told both sides but not at the same time. Good writing too.
LibraryThing member melissarochelle
A fun read that offers a look at love from the perspective of the 15 year-old girl that wants the guy and the 21 year-old that knows wanting a 15 year-old is kind of skeevy. It's definitely an honest look at both sides -- there were times I was reminded of my own pathetic teen existence. I mean,
A lot of fun! Read it!
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don't you remember how BRUTAL it was to have a crush on someone?!A lot of fun! Read it!
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LibraryThing member goodreads
amelia is 15 year old checker at a grocery store, she's the quiet good girl, nerd type, she falls in love with the charming chris who is 22. forbidden romance alert! the story is told from alternating points of view. chris is directionless, intellectual university student who is on the look out for
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the ideal woman. he is after almost everyone but amelia. he likes her but sees her as "the youngster" eventually he does start falling in love iwht her a little and at a party, they kiss, but he realizes it can't be -- he moves to japan and she moves on with her life. I liked the ending as it is more realistic. I like that he had feelings, but steps back from it. I loved the amelia character, she is nerdy but funny and her obsession with chris is just so heartbreaking. Show Less
LibraryThing member EuronerdLibrarian
Buzo excels at capturing the feelings of a hopeless crush. With simple, everyday details, she gives us a clear understanding of relationships and characters, showing us who they are and what they feel. Amelia's first person narration is juxtaposed with Chris's diary entries, revealing her
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misperceptions and limited perspective, as well as the difference in their stages in life. But the friendship and affection between them is genuine, which makes for messiness. Alcohol and the occasional drug make for questionable decisions and even a sordid encounter or two. Show Less
LibraryThing member IAmChrysanthemum
4.5 stars
This book is about two things: a teenage crush and becoming a “grown-up.” Unfortunately, these subjects are never distant from clichés and they are often presented in a shallow, stereotypical way. In Love and Other Perishable Items, however, Buzo writes about these two universal
Buzo somehow manages to weave together two disparate realms of experience: the high school feeling when you suddenly become giddily aware of the complexity of the world around you, making you feel more “adult,” as evinced in Amelia, our 15 year old protagonist, and the early 20s feeling of uncertainty as you become an unequivocal adult with legitimate responsibilities, a period captured through the struggles of Chris, a college senior who serves as the second POV character in this novel. So whether you’re on the younger or older side of Young Adult, there are ideas here for any reader to attach onto, ideas that will recall the reader’s own personal experience. As a result, both characters, though deeply flawed, are loveable, because it is difficult not to project our own tribulations of adolescence and early adulthood upon them. To me, this personability of the characters, this ability to see ourselves in them, is one of the novel’s greatest strengths.
An equally strong point is the novel’s focus on social justice. I read that author Laura Buzo works as a social worker in addition to writing, and her career experience clearly shines through the novel. I was enraptured by Chris and Amelia’s intelligent (but never pretentious!) discussions about the role of feminism in the 21st century, the unsatisfying conclusions to classic novels such as The Great Gatsby and Great Expectations, and the failure to recognize conditions of poverty in our own backyards. At its core, Love and Other Perishable Items is a book about romance, but it is much more smart and thoughtful than typical romantic fare yet it manages to maintain a (mostly) lighthearted tone. It’s totally approachable for all readers; some will adore the love story, others will enjoy the realistic depiction of these distinctly tumultuous life stages, and others will appreciate the sociological criticism within these pages.
Of course, I loved Love and Perishable Items for all of these reasons, as I expect most readers will. Highly recommended for anyone desiring a bit of young adult nostalgia in the form of a book that is both melancholy and hopeful.
This book is about two things: a teenage crush and becoming a “grown-up.” Unfortunately, these subjects are never distant from clichés and they are often presented in a shallow, stereotypical way. In Love and Other Perishable Items, however, Buzo writes about these two universal
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experiences with exceptional depth and feeling. Buzo somehow manages to weave together two disparate realms of experience: the high school feeling when you suddenly become giddily aware of the complexity of the world around you, making you feel more “adult,” as evinced in Amelia, our 15 year old protagonist, and the early 20s feeling of uncertainty as you become an unequivocal adult with legitimate responsibilities, a period captured through the struggles of Chris, a college senior who serves as the second POV character in this novel. So whether you’re on the younger or older side of Young Adult, there are ideas here for any reader to attach onto, ideas that will recall the reader’s own personal experience. As a result, both characters, though deeply flawed, are loveable, because it is difficult not to project our own tribulations of adolescence and early adulthood upon them. To me, this personability of the characters, this ability to see ourselves in them, is one of the novel’s greatest strengths.
An equally strong point is the novel’s focus on social justice. I read that author Laura Buzo works as a social worker in addition to writing, and her career experience clearly shines through the novel. I was enraptured by Chris and Amelia’s intelligent (but never pretentious!) discussions about the role of feminism in the 21st century, the unsatisfying conclusions to classic novels such as The Great Gatsby and Great Expectations, and the failure to recognize conditions of poverty in our own backyards. At its core, Love and Other Perishable Items is a book about romance, but it is much more smart and thoughtful than typical romantic fare yet it manages to maintain a (mostly) lighthearted tone. It’s totally approachable for all readers; some will adore the love story, others will enjoy the realistic depiction of these distinctly tumultuous life stages, and others will appreciate the sociological criticism within these pages.
Of course, I loved Love and Perishable Items for all of these reasons, as I expect most readers will. Highly recommended for anyone desiring a bit of young adult nostalgia in the form of a book that is both melancholy and hopeful.
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LibraryThing member RaeLynn_Fry
This book had its moments. It was good, but in the end rather un-impressionable and somewhat forgettable.
It’s about the Amelia, who’s just turned 16 and has fallen in love with an older boy she works with, Chris. The thing is, it will never work between them. Chris knows this, and Amelia knows
I think what appealed to me most about this book was the fact that the author was able to capture that part in a young girl’s life with such realistic accuracy. Falling for the older guy, knowing nothing’s going to come from it, but holding out hope for it anyway.
It’s told from two different points of view, Amelia’s and Chris’, so we get both sides of a situation and what’s going on inside their heads. In the end, you cheer for, somehow--beyond all socially accepted and legal odds--that they would find a way to be together. But that’s not realistic. The ending that the author came up with, is.
Happy reading, my friends!
It’s about the Amelia, who’s just turned 16 and has fallen in love with an older boy she works with, Chris. The thing is, it will never work between them. Chris knows this, and Amelia knows
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this, but part of her still holds out hope. And part of him is sort of interested. I think what appealed to me most about this book was the fact that the author was able to capture that part in a young girl’s life with such realistic accuracy. Falling for the older guy, knowing nothing’s going to come from it, but holding out hope for it anyway.
It’s told from two different points of view, Amelia’s and Chris’, so we get both sides of a situation and what’s going on inside their heads. In the end, you cheer for, somehow--beyond all socially accepted and legal odds--that they would find a way to be together. But that’s not realistic. The ending that the author came up with, is.
Happy reading, my friends!
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LibraryThing member vsnunez
Just brilliant. I loved the story, the alternating POV chapters between Amelia and Chris, also the Australian vernacular. Boy, kids grow up quick! I recall many of the same feelings when I was that age.
LibraryThing member TheMadHatters
Amelia is a studious 15 year old and feels that life is passing her by...no boyfriend, no fun, only one good friend. She picks up a part time job at the local grocery store and meets Chris, a 21 year old university student. Chris is charming, funny, friendly...everything the high school boys are
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not. Amelia falls instantly in love, but realizes that this will never happen. The reader gets to know both Amelia and Chris from their own sides of the story...Chris actually really likes Amelia, but realizes how young she is. When a drunken night leads to some kissing, Amelia thinks this is going to be her first real romance, but Chris breaks her heart. Eventually Chris decides to leave the country to get a job, and his going away present to Amelia is all his journals, in which she'll finally realize her love wasn't unrequited after all. Show Less
LibraryThing member TheMadHatters
Amelia, a typically awkward and self-conscious 15-year-old, falls helplessly in love with her grocery-store-coworker, Chris--charismatic, gorgeous and, unfortunately, 21. Told from both Amelia's and Chris's viewpoints, "Love and Other Perishable Items" is a brutally honest and heartwarming tale of
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how a helpless and hapless crush can consume a person's life, for better or worse. Definitely a great read for anyone who has fallen for the ultimately unattainable guy or gal. Show Less
LibraryThing member A_Reader_of_Fictions
When Love and Other Perishable Items came out, there were a lot of reviews that said they really didn’t get the point of it, since it’s not got much of a plot. It was very character-driven, they said. Of course, this made me want the book, even if many others were seriously whelmed by its
Love and Other Perishable Items does a lot well. There are two POVs and they’re very distinct. Amelia and Chris do not sound remotely similar and I think she effectively set up their timelines. They’re talking about the same things, but their views of them are so different. I would always look forward to seeing things from Chris’ side, after seeing Amelia’s interpretations.
Amelia, fifteen and seriously infatuated for the very first time, suffers from a pretty standard teenage problem: insecurity. Her lack of self-worth is exacerbated by her parents’ inattention. They’re present, but lost in their own worlds. Amelia thinks of herself one way, but through Chris’ eyes it’s obvious that her view of herself is flawed. It’s a reminder that what we see isn’t necessarily what others see looking at us, a very important lesson in life.
What I think I liked best in Love and Other Perishable Items was watching Amelia learn through fiction. She’s reading book primarily for school but she really takes the time to think about what they say and to try to apply their lessons to her own life. I wish I could say that I thought that much about everything I read as a teen. This, too, is how Amelia bonds with Chris, her crush. He’s in college, 22, and he enjoys talking with the intellectually curious youngster who works with him at the grocery store. In these moments, I was able to take Amelia’s crush seriously and to see where the two might really get along. It’s also the only time I found Chris likable.
That said, the romance in the book did not work for me, such as it is. Chris annoyed me to no end. He’s constantly whinging about the manic pixie dream girl of his past, a girl he failed to understand and who treated him like shit but whom he continues to feel is the one for him. Meanwhile, he seeks out the “perfect girl” even though he already met his perfect girl and she dumped him hard. I’m a fan of drinking, sure, but Chris worries me. He drinks like he wants to die. Plus, he does other drugs and makes just terrible life choices all around.
The ending has me side-eyeing this book. I feel like it all ties into the discussion of Great Expectations that Chris and Amelia have. Let’s just say I’m skeptical like Amelia about things. On a side-note, the discussions of feminism in this book are really interesting. It’s all about the different ways people have defined it and misinterpretations. Amelia actually hates feminism because she doesn’t really get what it is. Nothing’s really settled with regards to that, but I think it’s a book to make people think if they’ve never really considered those issues.
Did I like Love and Other Perishable Items? Well, kind of. I’d say it’s a good book and I liked it more than I didn’t, but it also never really coalesced for me. Authentic though their voices are, neither Amelia nor Chris really leapt off the page and felt real to me the way the best characters do.
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contents. It was one of those times where reviews that actually weren’t highly positive totally reeled me in and convinced me it might be a book for me. Plus, I’ve heard so much about Aussie YA and Melina Marchetta totally panned out, so why not Laura Buzo? And yet. Here I am, a bit surprised not to have loved this one.Love and Other Perishable Items does a lot well. There are two POVs and they’re very distinct. Amelia and Chris do not sound remotely similar and I think she effectively set up their timelines. They’re talking about the same things, but their views of them are so different. I would always look forward to seeing things from Chris’ side, after seeing Amelia’s interpretations.
Amelia, fifteen and seriously infatuated for the very first time, suffers from a pretty standard teenage problem: insecurity. Her lack of self-worth is exacerbated by her parents’ inattention. They’re present, but lost in their own worlds. Amelia thinks of herself one way, but through Chris’ eyes it’s obvious that her view of herself is flawed. It’s a reminder that what we see isn’t necessarily what others see looking at us, a very important lesson in life.
What I think I liked best in Love and Other Perishable Items was watching Amelia learn through fiction. She’s reading book primarily for school but she really takes the time to think about what they say and to try to apply their lessons to her own life. I wish I could say that I thought that much about everything I read as a teen. This, too, is how Amelia bonds with Chris, her crush. He’s in college, 22, and he enjoys talking with the intellectually curious youngster who works with him at the grocery store. In these moments, I was able to take Amelia’s crush seriously and to see where the two might really get along. It’s also the only time I found Chris likable.
That said, the romance in the book did not work for me, such as it is. Chris annoyed me to no end. He’s constantly whinging about the manic pixie dream girl of his past, a girl he failed to understand and who treated him like shit but whom he continues to feel is the one for him. Meanwhile, he seeks out the “perfect girl” even though he already met his perfect girl and she dumped him hard. I’m a fan of drinking, sure, but Chris worries me. He drinks like he wants to die. Plus, he does other drugs and makes just terrible life choices all around.
The ending has me side-eyeing this book. I feel like it all ties into the discussion of Great Expectations that Chris and Amelia have. Let’s just say I’m skeptical like Amelia about things. On a side-note, the discussions of feminism in this book are really interesting. It’s all about the different ways people have defined it and misinterpretations. Amelia actually hates feminism because she doesn’t really get what it is. Nothing’s really settled with regards to that, but I think it’s a book to make people think if they’ve never really considered those issues.
Did I like Love and Other Perishable Items? Well, kind of. I’d say it’s a good book and I liked it more than I didn’t, but it also never really coalesced for me. Authentic though their voices are, neither Amelia nor Chris really leapt off the page and felt real to me the way the best characters do.
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LibraryThing member reader1009
teen fiction/unrequited love. I thought this one was a good one to recommend to teen girls (mainly as a warning against dating "older" men, because it seems there's at least one girl in every class that tries this); it does a good job of portraying that a 21-y.o. in college is in an entirely
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different world than a 15-y.o. that works at the local market. As an adult, I'd sooner read about something else, but was pleasantly surprised by how well the author handled writing the second perspective, from the boy's point of view. Show Less
Awards
William C. Morris YA Debut Award (Finalist — 2013)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 2014)
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
256 p.; 5.47 inches
ISBN
0307929744 / 9780307929747
Local notes
Fiction