Red Dress Ink, June 2003, 12.95, 336 pp.
ISBN 0373250290
At the age of eighteen Carrie Pilby graduated Harvard with a B.A. in philosophy. Now she lives in an apartment in Greenwich Village, but hardly ever goes out except to see her psychologist and has no friends or a job. Her favorite activity is laying in bed and watching a video until she falls asleep. She feels like she doesn't fit into society and though she is alone she isn't lonely. It's hard for a genius to interact with other people so her shrink issues her a series of challenges.
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She gets a temp job proof reading and meets a woman who doesn't judge her and genuinely wants to be her friend. She joins a church and interacts with the pastor who not only accepts her, but approves of her strong morality. By the time New Year's Eve arrives, Carrie has dated an engaged man, a boring person and a man she genuinely likes. She finally realizes that a person has to give people a chance because the rewards are satisfying.
In the first half of CARRIE PILBY, the protagonist is a judgmental person who thinks that her intellectual superiority makes her superior to everyone else. In the latter part of this novel Callie realizes that she is using her mental maturity to hide her vulnerabilities and she takes the first step that will lead her into adulthood. The people she meets change her in subtle ways and if one can stick it out, Carrie will grow on you.
Harriet Klausner
The review of this Book prepared by Harriet Klausner
