Anna K: A Love Story
by Jenny LeePublished by Flatiron Books on March 3rd, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary Retelling, Romance
Format: ARC
Source: Kindly provided by the Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Summary from Goodreads:
Every happy teenage girl is the same, while every unhappy teenage girl is miserable in her own special way.
Meet Anna K. At seventeen, she is at the top of Manhattan and Greenwich society (even if she prefers the company of her horses and Newfoundland 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 Storyis 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.
Review
Anna K.: A Love Story has quickly become one of my overall favourite books of 2020.
Anna K.: A Love Story is a modern-day YA retelling of Anna Karenina that centres upon Anna K., a Korean-American "it girl" who seems to have it all - the perfect boyfriend, high society parents, loving brother, status, and friends, all wrapped up in a drama-free life with her two Newfoundland dogs. She thought she had it all, that is until Vronsky appears in front of her and ignites something in her that she has never felt before. However, the universe requires balance, and a bunch of wealthy Manhattan teens are about to quickly learn that lesson.
This is a book I didn't know I wanted until I heard it was coming out. Though this retelling of the classic work takes on a modern-day approach, it still stays true to the overall theme and plot of its inspiration. It was fun to see the ways in which Lee stayed true to the original work, through the three couples featured as well as the themes of family and love, while taking a more modernized view by highlighting tough topics such as classicism, racism, sexism, privilege, mental health, pressure of tradition, and alcohol and drug addictions. The incorporation of these topics makes this classical story feel both current and fresh as well as leaves readers feeling for the characters and thinking of these situations regardless of their own personal opinions of the book itself.
Though Anna's story is central to the entire plot, there is a large and diverse cast of characters that contribute with significant side stories. I particularly enjoyed reading the character development in this book, as it was throughly impressive how some characters changed from someone I would have typically disliked to being one of my favourite characters in the book as they grew and changed. However, I absolutely adored the relationships and romance within this story. Anna and Vronsky's romance was the central focus of the entire book, their relationship and the passion they had for one another was one that quickly grabbed my attention since their very first meeting. I also enjoyed reading Steven and Anna's relationship as siblings, they may not have agreed on all things but they always looked out for each other.
Anna K.: A Love Story sort of has a feel similar to that of Gossip Girl and The Hills, a bunch of rich kids getting into all kinds of mischievous activities and acting questionably. With alcohol, cheating, drugs, sex, and jet setting, this book reads like a soapy drama with its portrayal of the over the top lifestyles and relationships. One can read how easily a person can get swept up in the opulence of the characters' lavish lifestyles, wild parties, and romance but can just as easily see how effortless it is to gain access to alcohol and drugs as well as face life-changing decisions at such a young age. Lee thoughtfully and realistically addressed the ways that infidelity is treated differently based on one's gender as well as discussed how alcohol and drugs may be appealing to some teens, whether it is for fun or to help them in some aspect of their life, but can also go wrong through the portrayal of an acid trip and the consequences of being a heroine addict.
I thought I knew how the story would end but was surprised by the circumstances and choices made. Though the ending was softened, it was still a tragic love story that is hard to forget. I felt that the emotions were captured quite well and made everything that much more powerful to read. Overall, Anna K.: A Love Story is a book that I highly recommend picking up and checking out right away. It's a story that I believe will resonate with a lot of people, especially in today's day and age, and will leave readers wanting to know more.
With that being said, there are some content/trigger warnings to be made aware of, see below for a partial list, before picking up this book. A list of trigger warnings will be provided at the end of this review. If you are looking for more in depth trigger warnings, there are a ton of reviews out that may be able to fully address concerns you may have. Please be mindful of your mental health before picking up any book with content/trigger warnings in order to ensure that you don't push yourself.
TRIGGER WARNING: Graphic scenes, alcohol and drug use, sex shaming, discussion of sex, revenge porn, infidelity, depression, suicidal ideation, mention of self-harm, mention of abortion.
Rating
★★★★★
About the Author
Jenny Lee is a television writer and producer who has worked on BET's Boomerang, IFC's Brockmire, Freeform's Young & Hungry, and the Disney Channel's number-one-rated kids' show, Shake It Up. Jenny has previously published humorous essay collections and middle-grade novels, and Anna K. is her debut YA novel. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and 135-pound Newfoundland, Gemma (and yes, it's a toss-up on who's walking who every day).
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