Granta 82: “An Education” by Lynn Barber

I imagine I’ll get around to reading all of the stories in time, but I really only wanted this back issue of Granta because of Lynn Barber’s piece, “An Education.” As I’m sure you’ve guessed or perhaps already knew, this essay was the basis for the film An Education, which was adapted by Nick Hornby. I adore Hornby, as I’ve mentioned a few times here before and An Education was one of my favorite movies of 2009.

The film and essay are about a sixteen-year-old girl who begins dating an older man. He’s a conman who charms her and her parents, takes her to France and treats her to upscale dinners. Although there are signs that he isn’t entirely on the up and up from the moment she meets him, she ignores them. The education alluded to in the title is that moment when we realize that we can’t always trust the people that we want to trust—the sort of education that no one really wants.

The first thing I noticed as I read the Barber essay was pacing. It moves along at a nice clip, which gives it this great journalistic quality. Most of the memoirs I read while I was in school would probably be classified as “creative non-fiction”—which is basically just another way of saying unconventional or resembles fiction. There’s nothing wrong with this kind of non-fiction, in fact, I like it a lot, but there’s something to be said for simple, straightforward writing especially if the content is thematically complex. I can see “An Education” being the essay that I end up modeling my own work after.

The second thing I noticed was how faithful Hornby was to Barber’s story. “An Education” (the essay) is only a few pages in length while An Education (the movie) is over 90 minutes long. The moments that Hornby invented were true to the facts and essence of Barber’s story, which I think takes real sensitivity and a deep understanding of the material.

Postmortem

• I wish that it were longer. This isn’t a criticism; actually, it has to do with how much I loved the essay. It looks as though some elongated version of this Granta story is being released later this month. 

• If only I’d read this before I went to that Nick Hornby book signing. I could have asked him what it was in particular that inspired him to adapt it.

Happy New Year, Bacon Mac!

Boyfriend and I went to Kincaid's in Oakland for our traditional Anniversary/New Year's Eve Dinner. Usually we just get steaks (you can see Boyfriend's plate in the background) but this year we decided to add a side of Bacon Mac. I only had two or three spoonfuls because I'd already gorged myself on bread by the time we got our entrees; but those were the best two or three spoonfuls of macaroni and cheese that I've ever had. What a great way to start the new year.

Superstud: Or How I Became a 24-year-old Virgin by Paul Feig

The Paul Feig-Judd Apatow brain-trust produced Freaks and Geeks—a teen centric comedy-drama that is probably the definitive brilliant-but-canceled TV show. (Some may think that that distinction belongs to Arrested Development but I’d argue that that show was at least granted a three-season run. The Emmy-nominated Freaks and Geeks, on the other hand, got the axe after a mere 12 episodes, outraging fans and critics alike. On top of that, almost every member of the Freaks and Geeks principal cast has continued to work steadily with a few—Seth Rogen, James Franco, and Jason Segel—becoming pretty big stars. Their post-cancellation success, I think, is a testament to the talent that these kids possessed and is proof of just how respected the show was in Hollywood.) In my opinion, there were two reasons why this show was so awesome: (1) It was hilarious and (2) most of that hilarity had a lot to do with schadenfreude.


My love of Freaks and Geeks and the delight I take in the hard luck of those who aren’t me, prompted me to buy Paul Feig’s first book, Kick Me: Adventures in Adolescence—which may have actually been my first experience with memoir (I was only about 18 or 19 at the time). The book is, by turns, hysterical and cringe-inducing; it is, without question, a comedic masterpiece; and it also happens to be one of the few books that I’ve read more than once (surprisingly, it was just as funny the second time around). If you haven’t read it, you need to go down to your local bookstore and buy it right now. Seriously. 


Kick Me, solidified my Feig Fandom, and so, I was really looking forward to reading the follow-up memoir, Superstud: Or How I Became a 24-year-old Virgin. 
. . .
I’ll preface this by saying that I didn’t dislike the book. In fact, I started reading it almost as soon as I received it on Christmas morning, finished it in a day or so, and generally found it very engaging. But it was engaging in the same way that reading a stranger’s very, very personal blog is engaging or watching a reality TV show is engaging; I couldn’t put the book down because it’s a confessional I am a voyeur to the core. Superstud wasn’t nearly as funny as Kick Me, which had me laughing out loud, and I often felt a bit annoyed with Feig and his relationship ineptitude. Most of the time his sexual awkwardness wasn’t pathetic in an amusing way, it was just plain pathetic. As much as I like Feig, I can’t help but think that this book was more about a paycheck than it was about making anyone laugh. 


The title would seem to suggest that Feig was a nerd and couldn’t get a girlfriend, but he appears to have had very little trouble getting dates. He describes several relationships in the book, a few of which were apparently with attractive girls. His problem, as I understood it, was reconciling his raging hormones with his religion and high standards. He could have lost his virginity any number of times but he chose not to. This is, of course, admirable. If you aren’t ready to have sex then you shouldn’t have sex, plain and simple. But Feig doesn’t spend enough time describing that internal struggle. The book could have been really moving if he would have dramatized his thought process a little more.  He leans too hard on that hopeless nerd angle when he should be exploring the reasons why he wasn’t ready for a sexual relationship. Ultimately, that would have probably been more compelling, and possibly, funnier. 


Postmortem

• Like I said, Superstud wasn’t horrible. If you’re a Freaks and Geeks fan, you’ll probably be happy to read about the real-life incidents that inspired some of the show’s more memorable moments. 

• Feig—or maybe his editor—makes some interesting formatting decisions. One chapter incorporates his actual journal and the final chapter, which describes his first time, mimics scrpiture.

Burger!

Finally I feel the sting of the recession as Boyfriend and I could not afford to get bacon on our burgers. Fortunately, the food was tasty and I barely noticed the lack of extra meat. This beauteous tower o' beef is the Burgermeister Colossal. Two thick, niman ranch patties smothered in cheddar cheese that oozes down the sides of the burger like hot lava. Boyfriend didn't believe that I would be able to finish it but he was dead wrong! I also ate the fries. Every last one of them. I am pig. Pig who likes bacon. I am, therefore, cannibal in addition to being pig. 

Youth in Revolt by C.D. Payne

I started reading this one months and months ago because I heard that a movie adaptation was in the works. I probably should be ashamed, but that is the reason why I choose to read a lot of the books that I read. The overwhelming sense of satisfaction that I feel when I’m able to leave a theater and say to whomever’s accompanied me, “Ah, that was okay, but the book was better,” is just, well, so overwhelming satisfying. If you think that’s sort of douchey of me, then you are correct, my friend, you are correct! The movie is being released in less than a month so I thought it crucial to finally finish it up. And I’m glad that I did.


Youth in Revolt by C.D. Payne is a bit like Bridget Jones’ Diary for the horny, teenage boy set. In his journal, hyper-articulate 14-year-old Nick Twisp, chronicles his obsession with the equally articulate teen goddess Sheeni Saunders, his ongoing quest to be devirginated, and all of his very, very bad behavior. There are also several “thunderous erections” and multiple incidences of oral sex. In short, it’s the kind of genuinely funny, instant classic that all teenagers should read. 


And yet, with its elevated diction and Jean-Luc Godard name-check, Youth in Revolt is definitely not YA fiction. It takes a considerable amount of skill to create a teenage character that is both believably teenaged and appealing to adults, and C.D. Payne is able to pull it off gracefully. In the upcoming months, I hope to make my way through the entire Nick Twisp saga (there are apparently three sequels). 


Postmortem

• Although I’ve been reading this book off and on for a couple of months now, once I hit the half-way point it was very easy sailing.
• The ending of the book isn’t really an ending at all but a segue into the second Nick Twisp book. Luckily, the next book is contained within this gargantuan tome.
• Youth in Revolt is set in Oakland and, as I’ve said in the past, books set in the Bay Area hold a special place in my heart. I’m predisposed to loving them.
• The trailer for Youth in Revolt starring Michael “Mr. Manager” Cera seems v. awesome. I noticed, though, that it primarily focuses on Nick’s transformation into Francois, his impertinent French alter ego. That really isn’t what the story is about (at least not the first one) and Francois does not enter the mix until the book is nearly finished. So if you wanted people to think that you’re the sort of person who reads, I would make sure to bring that to the attention of your comrades. Although called Youth in Revolt, I think the plot of the movie may actually be a combination of the first three Nick Twisp books.

Bacon Sausage Quiche

Boyfriend cooked this bacon sausage quiche for his family on Christmas and gave me the leftovers the next day. I like how he's taken a kind of hoighty-toighty, Frenchy food and dumbed it down with the bacon. But in dumbing it down, he managed to delicious it up. Boyfriend is culinary god.

Bacon Chili-Cheese Dog

I would love to take credit for masterminding this little delight but this bacon chili-cheese dog was actually conceived of by my mother, if you can believe it. While moms the world over attempt to get their children to eat broccoli and brussel sprouts and other nasty green things, mine cooks this for me. What a lady, right? What I like most about this hot dog is that it's a work of art and it's delicious.