Book Review: "Anna K" by Jenny Lee
Publisher Synopsis: At seventeen, Anna K is at the top of Manhattan and Greenwich society (even if she prefers the company of her horses and dogs); she has the perfect (if perfectly boring) boyfriend, Alexander W.; and she has always made her Korean-American father proud (even if he can be a little controlling). Meanwhile, Anna's brother, Steven, and his girlfriend, Lolly, are trying to weather an sexting scandal; Lolly’s little sister, Kimmie, is struggling to recalibrate to normal life after an injury derails her ice dancing career; and Steven’s best friend, Dustin, is madly (and one-sidedly) in love with Kimmie.
As her friends struggle with the pitfalls of ordinary teenage life, Anna always seems to be able to sail gracefully above it all. That is…until the night she meets Alexia “Count” Vronsky at Grand Central. A notorious playboy who has bounced around boarding schools and who lives for his own pleasure, Alexia is everything Anna is not. But he has never been in love until he meets Anna, and maybe she hasn’t, either. As Alexia and Anna are pulled irresistibly together, she has to decide how much of her life she is willing to let go for the chance to be with him. And when a shocking revelation threatens to shatter their relationship, she is forced to question if she has ever known herself at all.
Dazzlingly opulent and emotionally riveting, Anna K: A Love Story is a brilliant reimagining of Leo Tolstoy's timeless love story, Anna Karenina—but above all, it is a novel about the dizzying, glorious, heart-stopping experience of first love and first heartbreak.
Rating (out of 5): 3.75
Trigger Warnings: addiction, substance abuse, misogyny
Review: I’m not totally sure I’m the right person to be doing this review because I’ve never read “Anna Karenina” (I’m not big on Russian literature tbh). But, I did enjoy this book quite a bit, so I can speak to it as someone who went in pretty blind as to the storyline it would be emulating.
Our cast of characters was fairly diverse, which I liked. While most were very, very economically privileged, there were a few characters who were not, and one of the the things I appreciated was how the book dealt with class politics, racism, misogyny and the double standard the comes along with having sex as a teen—I thought it was a fairly sophisticated and modern take on these issues. (I would say more on that but as always, we’re spoiler-free here.)
The book was very character-driven, and some were more developed than others. Stephen undergoes a great deal of change throughout, as does his sister (and title character) Anna. However, Anna’s boyfriend, Alexander, has zero character development beyond the fact that he’s “perfect.” Another note is that the book switches quite frequently between different characters’ POV—sometimes that drives me crazy, but I appreciated it here because there were a few different storylines that needed telling.
However. My few nitpicks were in terms of the idea of “virginity” and language around abortion. There were a few characters who seemed very hung up on the fact that their virginities needed to be protected—that they should only “lose it” to someone “worthy.” I thought we as a society (or, the society I’m part of) had moved past this trope, but I guess not. Always, I haven’t been a teenager in awhile, so what do I know.
Additionally, one of the characters drunkenly confesses to “hating condoms” and having had 3 abortions, making her a “baby killer.” (She may have actually said “baby murderer.”) There was no further discussion of this and frankly I was disappointed—of course people can regret their terminations (some do), but I would have preferred the author clarified that abortion isn’t murder.
That said, I found this book a welcome distraction from everything that’s going on right now, and would recommend it whether or not you’ve read the Russian classic.
TL;DR: A modern YA retelling that’s part “Anna Karenina, part “Gossip Girl.” Despite a few annoying sexual stereotypes (virginity must be protected!), I enjoyed this one; it’s a lighthearted read that provided a good distraction.
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