Better Than Running at Night, by Hillary Frank, was a random and fortuitous find. I was really in the mood for some good young adult fiction, and I thought I'd glance at the Bard library's "juvenile browsing" section, which is pretty limited. Tucked in between bigger books, this little paperback caught my eye as much for its small size as for its colorful cover. Reading the back of the cover, I was intrigued to find it's about college students, which in my experience is pretty unusual for a children's book or a book for adults. (When was the last time you read a good novel about college students? The last time I did was two years ago, roughly. If you have read any good novels about college students, leave me a comment! I'd be pleased to check it out.)
Anyway, as for the book itself, I really enjoyed it. Rather than being divided into chapters, it's in fairly short sections with good titles and even little drawings (which is nice, since the narrator-protagonist is studying drawing at an art college). I really liked the main character; I could relate to her, and she wasn't written too melodramatically. She is a reasonable person while being an interesting character, and moreover she's a strong female protagonist, which is always great. Of course she has her share of problems, but she doesn't whine about them. And she's got her quirks, to add some spice to the story. I'm not sure if I would actually think of this as a young adult novel; it's a bit hard to classify, but I heartily recommend it.
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