I actually read this book over Thanksgiving break and stayed up untl 6 a.m. reading it, because I couldn’t put it down. It’s honestly just that good. Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist is one of the best books I have read in a while. I haven’t read anything even close to this good since M.T. Anderson’s Feed, which was quite awhile ago.
I felt like I could relate to it on so many levels, but at the same time, coming from a masculine perspective, it was oddly blissful to me, because I saw in Norah the emodiment of what every guy wants in a girl. It’s true that I don’t like girls who enjoy playing games with guys, but Norah has genuine feeiings for Nick, and even though she does “play games” with him, we learn through the parts written through her perspective that it’s because she’s afraid, and fear is something that I think we can all understand when it comes to love.
However, back to my claim that I could relate to it, I felt that in so many ways, I am Nick, and Nick is me. I felt connected to the story, and it’s rare that I ever feel so strongly about a piece of literature. I saw the film starring Kat Dennings and Michael Cera first, and I’d quickly be the first (although I’m sure I’m not) to advise against thinking that you can skip right to the film and get the same experience from it, because you will not. I wasn’t crazy over the movie. I mean, I didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t anything special, and yet, I think I’ve done quite enough here to prove that the book was indeed very special to me. The book and the movie are two different stories and two different worlds, and I strongly suggest visiting both.