Penelope by Rebecca Harrington

Unfortunately this book was a victim of my recent reading slump. Normally when I’m reading a book I fully invest in it and give it the attention it deserves, but for some reason lately I haven’t felt in the mood for reading, but I can’t take full responsibility for this.

When I saw this book on the shelf in Waterstones it reached out to me as a book I would possibly enjoy and even though I didn’t invest much time in prioritizing my reading, this was mainly due to the fact that I couldn’t get into it. In short, it bored me. The evidence for this is that when I was asked what I was currently reading, I couldn’t remember the name of the book – it’s the same as the main character!

Rebecca Harrington’s debut novel follows Penelope O’Shaughnessy as she begins a new chapter of her life at university. With a mum more excited about it than her, Penelope struggles to fit in with her very different room-mates Emma and Lan as she settles into life away from home, but tries to throw herself into university life by joining the play and talking to others in her dormitory.

After making a connection with fellow freshman Ted, Penelope hopes their friendship will develop into something more as they spend time together, but this idea is dashed when Catherine, confident and busty bounces in and steals his attention leaving Penelope trying to fit in elsewhere.

With her mum constantly asking her whether she’s made friends, Penelope finds herself attracted to Gustav, a posh and well connected German who seems to capture every girl’s attention by showing off his wealth, so when he shows an interest in her she’s over the moon. But what ensues isn’t what you’d consider a normal relationship – more a distant friendship with meetings taking place in the middle of the night and Penelope’s eagerness to fit in being taken advantage of.

Penelope’s first year through university included a social awkwardness which made it seem real – a refreshing look at life with the lead character not being the ever popular girl whose life is perfect. If I ever went to University I could see myself feeling the same as Penelope - not knowing where to fit in and ultimately not fitting in.

Despite my reluctance to pick up this novel every time I had the opportunity, with reflection I think I enjoyed it, but I wouldn’t necessarily read another from this author in a hurry.