I wanted to talk about Fruits Basket but really, who doesn't already have it for their collection? So instead I thought I'd tell you about something a little older that you may have missed. His and Hers Circumstance in English, and Kare Kano in Japan, is a sweet but wacky love story. The main protagonists are teenagers Yukino Miyazawa and Soichiro Arima, two seemingly perfect people who meet and fall in love. That's the surface, now lets get down to the meat of the matter. Yukino is a great character, and something not often seen in girls YA novels. She starts out as a scheming manipulator who would do anything to become loved and trusted by everyone she meets. She has a pathological need to be adored. When she meets Soichiro she originally hates him, but has to put on a sweet face. When she finally beats him at something she learns that he's a better person and that everything she's worked for from then is a lie. Her personal growth through the series is a joy to see, really, she's smart and brash and not afraid to go for what she wants while never really stepping into the territory of "Bitch".
Some worrisome areas for libraries are that it does get really dark in the middle, I mean pretty pitch black, can't see in front of your face dark. Soichiro's motivations are similar but less self centered than Yukino's. He was a victim of child abuse and neglect, something both of them must work through. Eventually the two are lest alone for the day and do have sex, resulting in a pregnancy. But really, it's the slowest buildup and sweetest seen you'll ever read. If you're in a high school library then it's nothing new to most of your patrons. Most of the relationships between the very large cast of three dimensional characters end up being love stories, the book is aimed mainly at girls. But don't let the covers stop you, some pretty tough guys I know read this too. It's smart, well written and the characters are people you'd love to make friends with. Give it a read, and let me know what you think about it.
Some worrisome areas for libraries are that it does get really dark in the middle, I mean pretty pitch black, can't see in front of your face dark. Soichiro's motivations are similar but less self centered than Yukino's. He was a victim of child abuse and neglect, something both of them must work through. Eventually the two are lest alone for the day and do have sex, resulting in a pregnancy. But really, it's the slowest buildup and sweetest seen you'll ever read. If you're in a high school library then it's nothing new to most of your patrons. Most of the relationships between the very large cast of three dimensional characters end up being love stories, the book is aimed mainly at girls. But don't let the covers stop you, some pretty tough guys I know read this too. It's smart, well written and the characters are people you'd love to make friends with. Give it a read, and let me know what you think about it.
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