Emergency Contact
Written by Mary H.K. Choi in 2018
The Raccoon: Choi’s debut novel brings us inside the heads of Penny, a college freshman and aspiring writer, and Sam, a college dropout saving up to become a filmmaker. After Penny helps Sam through a panic attack, the two agree to become each other’s “emergency contact,” and their budding phone friendship sheds light on what it actually means to grow up.
UNMASKED: Emergency Contact is not the book that my generation deserves, but the one that it needs. The novel is a slow-burn romance which burns so slowly that there is time for actual plot and character development unrelated to Penny and Sam dating, but rather helping them reach the stage of their lives when they can have a real relationship. Moreover, the themes tackled in the novel are widely meaningful, rather than just meaning the world to the characters.
That being said, Emergency Contact is still a YA novel. One cannot deny that the romance is predictable (including the additional male love interest), no character ever truly hits rock bottom, and one moment of honest communication completely solves a harsh, long-term problem. What makes Choi’s work stand out is that she does not rely on these tropes to carry the story, and the novel stays compelling through a mix of humor and realistic, tough decisions.
Strengths:
- The menu of options Penny creates in her head whenever she faces a stressful situation are consistently hilarious.
- Penny and Sam are written very differently; it is possible to open to any random page and immediately know who is narrating.
Weaknesses:
- With references to current phenomenons such as SoulCycle and Hamilton, Emergency Contact will likely not age well.
Rating: 18/20 outfits
Ideal Setting: Read this whenever you begin to worry that you are addicted to your phone. I mean, you probably still are, but that doesn’t mean you should completely reject it as a way to open up to people.
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