By Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
To Sum It Up: Bass player Nick has just had his heart broken by his now ex-girlfriend, Tris, and his worst nightmare becomes reality when she turns up at the same club—with another guy. So Nick asks random face in the crowd Norah to pretend she’s his girlfriend for the next five minutes. Norah is going through some breakup issues of her own and happens to know Nick’s ex—and they’re not exactly fond of each other. Norah doesn’t want to catch Tris’s attention, either, and so for five minutes, Nick has a girlfriend. But as the night slowly becomes a new day in New York City, Nick and Norah realize that this very temporary relationship might have a lot more potential than that.
Review: Having loved another Rachel Cohn/David Levithan co-write, Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares, I’d wanted to read Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist for quite some time. Once again, I was impressed with the structure of the authors’ narrative; like Dash & Lily, Nick & Norah is told from the alternating viewpoints of the title characters. Also like Dash & Lily, Nick & Norah rocks this format. Cohn and Levithan are brilliant at making it work and making the transitions between perspectives seamless.
Sometimes the writing in a book just suits me perfectly, like if it were a person, we’d be best friends, and that’s the case here. I loved the prose; it’s smart, sharp, and full of wit. It also made all the difference in my opinion of the book. Contemporaries almost always have to work a little harder to grab my attention, and this one did thanks to the engaging writing. I don’t know if I would have found the novel, which essentially follows Nick and Norah’s adventures through New York City on a single, very eventful night, half as interesting. Fortunately, the pair are both highly entertaining narrators. While I’m going on about the writing, now would probably be a good time to mention that there’s a liberal amount of swearing, including frequent use of a certain word that starts with “f.” I personally didn’t mind at all, but for anyone who may not be so enthused to see this type of language, here’s a heads-up.
If Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares is a love letter to NYC at Christmas, then I’d consider Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist a love letter to NYC’s music scene. Nick and Norah actually hail from New Jersey, but it’s New York City that stars as the book's setting. I could not have been happier about that, and I love Cohn and Levithan for writing these two valentines to a place that will forever reside in my heart.
If I was at all worried that Nick & Norah would too closely resemble Dash & Lily (and really, I wasn’t), there was no need to do so. This is an entirely different, unique story that stands out on its own. Now I’m really curious about the movie adaptation and must check it out. I truly hope it captures the novel’s snappy dialogue and overall awesomeness.
All in All: Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist featured several elements that are dear to my heart: a New York setting, Dirty Dancing references, and tons of sarcasm. There was plenty here to keep my interest occupied, but I’m not sure what a reader who doesn’t find any of the above as appealing as I do would think of this novel. The plot boils down to whether or not Nick and Norah will stay together for longer than five minutes; if you’re sold on that premise, then you should be fine reading this.
