Book: Carrie Pilby (CL)

Although Caren Lissner's Carrie Pilby was published by Red Dress Ink, this story is not nearly as much "chick lit" as it is a coming-of-age story--for grown-ups. Carrie is a certified genius who graduated college at the age of nineteen and cannot cope with the hypocrisy and moral ambiguity she sees all around her. She has no friends and very little family. The only person she ever speaks to is her therapist, who gives her a list of five things to do to improve her social life in the hope that, by learning to interact with others, Carrie will find her own place in the world.

I liked how smart Carrie is--she throws in all sorts of trivia and philosophical musings that made me smile (example: pointing out that the word "loophole" is redundant). These things appealed to my own inner geek and kept me reading.

As Carrie begins to develop relationships and to navigate social boundaries, she experiences meaningful personal growth and is a different--and better--person by the end of the novel.

This was the second story I've read by this author (the other was Starting from Square Two). My only criticism of either story is that they put you deep inside the main character's head, but rarely into her heart. Grade: B