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And Then Things Fall Apart

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Keek’s life was totally perfect….

Keek and her boyfriend just had their Worst Fight Ever; her best friend heinously betrayed her; her parents are divorcing; and her mom’s across the country caring for her newborn cousin, who may or may not make it home from the hospital. To top it all off, Keek’s got the plague. (Well, the chicken pox.) Now she’s holed up at her grandmother’s technologically barren house until further notice. Not quite the summer vacation Keek had in mind.

With only an old typewriter and Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar for solace and guidance, Keek’s alone with her swirling thoughts. But one thing’s clear through her feverish haze—she’s got to figure out why things went wrong so she can make them right.

254 pages, Paperback

First published July 26, 2011

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Arlaina Tibensky

4 books44 followers

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5 stars
128 (23%)
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178 (32%)
3 stars
140 (25%)
2 stars
73 (13%)
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36 (6%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
Profile Image for Alena.
920 reviews278 followers
June 1, 2016
I can't really recommend this book because:
1) It's truly overwrought, melodramatic teen fiction.
2) The author is OBSESSED with The Bell Jar and the references are endless.
3) The protagonist (who's typing her diary entries) types "Sofa King" instead of "so fucking" about every 5 pages.
4) I was able to put this book down for a month and pick it up in the middle without missing anything.

BUT...I can't help but be impressed because this little novel was written by a few alumnae from my high school, and her Acknowledgements to her English teachers are to the same teachers who taught me, and it kind of blows my mind.

I still think of authors as far-away gods and goddesses, so when I read an author who shares my neighborhood, my school, my favorite teacher (I'm talking to you Dianne Kirtley), it feels like I owe her the benefit of the doubt. So kudos to you Arlaina Tibensky (whom I don't know in real life)!
Profile Image for lucy  black.
623 reviews40 followers
April 30, 2012
I like a good ramble and mumble grumble but this book has pretty much no plot. Her parents have broken up, shes an angsty virgin and that's about it for the whole book. I kept reading it and gave it 3 stars cos I quite liked the tone, shes witty and I liked the literary references.
Profile Image for Noelle.
374 reviews251 followers
June 11, 2015
First off, I need to express my undying love for the heroine of this book. Holy eff, Keek is just fantastic. I felt such a strong connection with her that several times it seemed like she was speaking directly to me, cracking me up with inside jokes and telling me stories I'd specifically appreciate. Keek's voice is so strong. She is real, funny and overall so damn INTERESTING. I loved her from her first feverish sentence. I'd even go as far as to call her one of my favorite heroines ever.

Sometimes though, it seemed Keek was closer to a sophomore in college than a sophomore in high school, some older version of Keek looking back on a fateful summer. But that could also be a result/fault of the format, which while genius in some ways, screwed with the overall feeling of the book in others. Keek is basically typing her thoughts while she's held hostage by the chicken pox and everything else in her life is in a massive upheaval. Originally it is absolutely hysterical because of her feverish rants and musings but as the fever subsides Keek's writing veers from absolute candor toward more general observations. This became especially obvious when it was time to wrap up the plot lines. The format made the endings seem so much tidier than they actually were because Keek was telling us her end evaluations after she had thought about it, not her unreserved reactions while things were actually happening. It contrasts to the emotional outbursts and inner monologue train of thought feeling of the feverish entries and ends up more like overly tidy summaries by a fifteen year old with enviable amounts of perspective and self-awareness.

BUT that introspection is also what makes Keek such a great character in the first place. I was ultimately charmed at all of the thought she put into everything (even when it bordered on becoming a The Bell Jar book report). This isn’t just some superficial stressing Keek is doing, this is analysis. She’s a deep thinker. She is looking for the deeper meaning of things, she’s trying to understand. And I absolutely freaking loved that about her. I think you will too.

I'd definitely recommend this book.

Profile Image for Kelly Hager.
3,102 reviews146 followers
August 20, 2011
Keek's life sucks. Her parents are splitting up (her dad cheated), she and her boyfriend had a huge fight and now she's quarantined at her grandmother's house with the chicken pox. (Which apparently is the worst thing ever when you're a teenager; she's sick for ages.) She's getting through it, though, thanks to a typewriter (did I mention that her grandma's house has no internet?) and a copy of The Bell Jar.

I need to re-read The Bell Jar, I think, because it is all over this novel and it's not an exaggeration to say that Esther Greenwood is as much a part of this story as Keek is.

Keek is a little too consumed with her own thoughts for my taste; this was basically like being captive in, like, 30 therapy services back to back. That said, she's also smart and funny.

Not my favorite but still worth a try.
Profile Image for Jen Ryland.
1,652 reviews919 followers
Read
August 20, 2016
From "Best Kept YA Secrets 2011" www.jenryland.blogspot.com Dec 13, 2011

Sylvia Plath. Chicken Pox. An old-fashioned typewriter.

This sounds like a party game: pick three things out of a hat and make them into a story. But it works. Keek is quarantined at her grandmother's house with a case of the chicken pox and this mysterious device called a typewriter. She's pissed at her boyfriend. Her parents are splitting up. And she's obsessed with Sylvia Plath. This book is clever, poignant and funny. Keek has a strong, hilarious voice. If you haven't read this book, why not?
Profile Image for Kai.
407 reviews133 followers
October 2, 2011
Review posted at Amaterasu Reads

I will be starting this review with the quote: "Sometimes things fall apart so they can fall into the right places." It might not be the exact quote, but it's the one I remember vividly while I was reading this book.

Keek's life went from perfect to worse. Just a week ago she was still happy with her boyfriend, Matt, until they had a fight over doing "it". Until she contracted chicken pox. Until her parents' marriage became a big disaster. And until her so called "best buddy" decided it was a great idea to sleep with her father in their restaurant's freezer. Now everything was so wrong, and Keek was shipped to her grandmother's house, away from civilization, with a broken phone and no internet connection, sick and very depressed, only a typewriter and her battered copy of The Bell Jar to keep her company until she gets better. So Keek did the only thing she could do if she wants to stay sane. Write. And write she did, about everything that went wrong, and think about them, and maybe think of how to fix her life while writing about it.

There is something about Keek that makes her very entertaining. I love reading about characters like her. It's infinitely satisfying and intriguing to read from a person's point of view because you get to know everything, the whole package. Everything that Keek feels, from hatred, to confusion, to intense love, loneliness and bitterness felt very honest, and it has more impact when you read it as she tells it. No sugarcoating. Just the truth, and what she feels about it. Her humour and frequent sarcastic remarks pasted a permanent grin on my face while reading. You can tell that for a fifteen year old, Keek is a smart girl with a lot on her plate. She's at that point where everything around her seems to demand answers and everywhere she looks she can't help but be confused.

Drawing parallels with Esther of The Bell Jar and comparing the book to her life is the highlight of And Then Things Fall Apart. I haven't read The Bell Jar, so I'm not sure what to expect of Esther, but from what I can tell, her character and the book helped Keek deal with her issues. It was hard to see anything good out of what was happening to Keek's life, but The Bell Jar helped. Writing became therapeutic for Keek and before long, she was trying to get out of her depression. She had to be angry, depressed and lonely to be able to sort out her feelings and realize the mistakes she has made and make amends for them. As said in the book, "what was done cannot be undone", but Keek can start over and she realized that after quite a lot of difficulties.

And Then Things Fall Apart, though told solely from Keek's perspective, has a few characters readers will love aside from Keek herself. This book made me appreciate my grandmother all the more. It also made me a little bit sad for Keek's parents. Keek made me feel what she feels. I hated her parents, despised Amanda, adored her grandmother, loved Nic, and still felt torn about Matt. I find myself agreeing and disagreeing with a few things in the book. It made me realize that it might be healthy to ponder about our lives once in a while.

Arlaina Tibensky has a way with words. Quirky, snarky, but downright touching, And Then Things Fall Apart is quite a debut. If Keek feels unloved by her parents, you will love her after. Filled with sarcastic humor, and countless musings about love, sex, family and life in general, And Then Things Fall Apart is a fantastic debut. The haikus and anagrams are also worth taking a look, there's something in those words we can all relate to.

Arlaina Tibensky is a promising author that I will be looking out for, with this splendid novel.
Profile Image for David.
51 reviews9 followers
December 31, 2011
It's always nice when one cursorily reads something nice about a book on a blog, then months later randomly sees it at the library and picks it up whilst somewhat remembering hearing about it and not only does it turn out to be quite good, but Really Quite Good Indeed.

In And Then Things Fall Apart, high school student Keek has a revelatory summer after developing a later-in-life case of the chicken pox. She's feuding with her best friend and boyfriend, her parents are separated after her father cheated with a waitress at the restaurant her family owns (a waitress who has become an inspirational friend of Keek's), and she's trapped at her Luddite grandmother's house in the meantime.

Sounds like the stuff of a fine enough guilty pleasure contemporary YA work, no? But through her writing, debut author Tibensky makes the story really shine. Obsessed with Sylvia Plath, Esther Greenwood, and The Bell Jar, Keek logs the ups and downs of her summer on her grandmother's typewriter, sprinkling in various works of poetry and other diversions.

Unreliable narrators are often my favorites, and though Keek is generally cogent, the histrionics of teenagerdom (and suffering from chicken pox, which apparently can cause extreme sickness if one doesn't catch it until many years past the infant & toddler years) take hold as we discover that though she believes her relationship with her best friend and boyfriend could be beyond repair, the actual situation may not be quite as serious. For readers who shy away from "unlikeable" protagonists, the novel may be off-putting, but for those who appreciate well-rounded, real characters, the narrative is a delight.

Tibensky is a fabulous writer in the vein of E Lockhart, writing a convincing and compulsively readable teenage voice while still mixing in plenty of brains and literary motifs on which to gnaw. It's too bad this wasn't picked up by the Morris committee, but I hope it receives some attention on award etc lists in the new year.

And though this is generally a very successful work, there are a couple points that keep it from being a 5-star read for me. The "sofa king" phrase felt a bit too cutesy for me, though I appreciate it a bit more when viewing it as a link from Amanda, the waitress with whom her father cheated though Keek viewed her as impossibly cool before finding out. Though Keek is furious with her, her continued usage shows that she's still somewhat connected to the idea of becoming 'cooler' than she sees herself.

Also, the epilogue is a bit out of tone with the rest, feeling more like the epilogue to a novel it is than the last entry of a girl's summer typewritten diary as written, to tie up loose ends.

Nevertheless, this is highly recommended for fans of well-written contemporary YA.
Profile Image for Janet Morris.
Author 2 books69 followers
February 7, 2015
It wasn't very far into this book when I realized that I didn't really like it. I kept trying to convince myself to just enjoy the story or, at least, not to get too down on it so quickly. I was hoping that it would redeem itself somehow, but I don't think that it ever really did.

The narrator, a fifteen year old girl nicknamed Keek, is stuck at her grandmother's house during the summer with a case of chicken pox because her parents didn't get her vaccinated for that or any other communicable disease. As the story goes on, the reader finds out that her mom is off in California with Keek's aunt because the aunt has just given birth to Keek's baby cousin three months prematurely. You also find out that Keek's parents are getting divorced, which Keek is convinced is her father's fault because he had sex with Keek's twenty-three-year-old best friend. By the time I was fifty pages in, I was not only convinced that the character was a whiny, selfish, slut-shaming, Sylvia Plath-obsessed brat. It felt like her pseudo-rebellion of dyeing her hair pink and black and her obsessive love of Sylvia Plath fed into her own feeling that her life was worse than any other person in the universe, I was also convinced that her mother was immature and a bad parent, not just for leaving her extremely sick daughter, but for going to California, where she would be spending time around a premature baby that is fighting for its life and might accidentally expose it to an infectious disease. I was also judging both of her parents for letting her hang out with a twenty-three year old--an eight year age difference when you're fifteen is kind of a big deal.

Keek was not only shameless in her bashing of anyone who might have even the slightest sexual inclinations (except herself), she was also pretentious and seemed to be unaware of anything outside of her little world. I know that there are fifteen year olds out there who are like this, but that doesn't mean I like reading about a character who is anything like those teenagers. She is obviously very, very immature, which kind of makes me wonder why a twenty-three year old would even want to hang out with her.

The story had no real plot. The characters were all very shallow. It seems more like it's a Mary Sue-ish fanfiction of The Bell Jar than anything else. If I ever hear or see the words "sofa" and "king" next to one another again, I just might scream. I wish that I hadn't read this book because I think I could have found a much better use for my time. The only thing that could possibly redeem this story is if the author came out and said that it is really a satire on how some people in suburban settings are just completely out of touch with reality and how they raise their children to be just like them.
Profile Image for Lauren.
1,027 reviews100 followers
August 11, 2011
Keek's big plan for the summer definitely didn't involve catching a rare case of the chicken pox and being stuck at her grandmother's house with only an old typewriter and a copy of The Bell Jar to keep her company. However, nothing has really been going Keek's way lately. Her parents are splitting up - probably for good if the fact that her mom has run all the way off to the other side of the country is any inkling. Her reckless best friend Amanda has deceived her in one of the worst ways possible and Keek has slowly lost contact with her other best friend. Finally, Keek is hiding from her boyfriend because the last time she saw him things did not go too well to say the least. The one good thing that comes from being cooped up in an old house? Keek has plenty of time to think about live, love, and the future. Will everything go her way in the end, or will it end up becoming one "Sofa king" huge problem? Only time and more pages can tell!

When I first heard about this book, I knew I had to read it. Because not only did Keek and I share a favorite book, The Bell Jar, but also And Then Things Fall Apart sounded like the perfect mixture of teen angst, wit, and complications. However, while I did enjoy it, I had a few slight problems with it.

Keek was an interesting main character. She’s blunt, witty, and one of a kind to say the least. However, I was not always her biggest fan, and that is where the main problem of mine laid within this. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to like her character, but for the most part, I found her to be a bit immature when it came to many things, and her lack of confronting her problems became a bit old after a while as well. Her parents were much of the same, especially her mother. However, I have to say, I really did like Keek’s grandmother (Such a funny and introspective lady!) as well as Keek’s other friend Nic (who I wish made more appearances!).

I did enjoy the plot, though. It was filled with drama, drama, and more drama, and I always adore drama in my books. It also managed to keep the book going in a fast paced because I was intrigued to find out just how everything came together in the end. The scenes involving Sylvia Plath and The Bell Jar were also interesting and one of my favorite parts. Arlaina Tibensky’s writing was also a high point, because while I wasn’t always a fan of Keek, Arlaina did really mange to bring out the angst, confusion, and overall teenager-ness within her character.

In all, And Then Things Fall Apart was a decent debut. It was not necessarily the best book for me because of the main character, but I liked the overall picture.

Grade: B
Profile Image for Tricia Scott.
167 reviews5 followers
April 16, 2023
(copied from my book review blog: Patricia's Particularity)

"And Then Things Fall Apart" is a refreshing look into the mind of a teenage girl watching her world fall apart around her, unable to gain any control over any aspect of it. Keek uses a form of journaling on her grandmother's typewriter, unable to have any technology, and Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar to explore her thoughts and feelings and what they really mean.

"Getting what I'm thinking onto paper is smudgy black letters feels good, like stretching or punching a wall. Or crying."

Keek's words flow onto the page as one would think. She neither writes in a formal type nor in verse, but mixes many different types of forms to get her thoughts typed down. At the same time Keek compares her real life experiences with Esther's in The Bell Jar.

"I'm not the first person to ever be sick, enraged, depressed, delirious, betrayed, and confused all at the same time, or to use a typewriter to examine life in all of its jagged-edge glory. Sylvia Plath did it too, and she is the most inspired, beautiful, and subversive writer of her generation."

Keek's voice is unique and real, making it very beautiful. Not only is Keek releasing her thoughts and feelings, she is also quite funny and quirky, making jokes and even at times sounding delirious from being sick and stuck inside a house with her grandmother, her father living in the basement, and no means to contact the outside world except a land-line phone.

Arlaina Tibensky's unique writing form and voice creates a very unique type of novel. Rarely are authors able to make 'stream of conscious' writing successful, but Arlaina Tibensky is able to create a world for Keek in which she is given complete freedom to explore every detail about each and every single problem and trouble. For most, literature itself creates a connection to between the reader's life and the life(lives) within the novel, Arlaina Tibensky has taken this one step further by creating multi-dimensional connections, between the readers of her novel as well as Keek and her connection to The Bell Jar. Arlaina Tibensky has created a new and unique form of writing. Amazing.
Profile Image for Jenny.
193 reviews155 followers
January 22, 2021
4.5 stars

And Then Things Fall Apart is a moving story about a girl and her relationships with the people in her life, told with a strong and honest voice.

Keek is an easily likable character. The strength and honesty of her voice draws me into her story, and her vulnerability makes it easy to sympathize with her. I enjoy her humor and angst equally, and find her to be a great narrator and story teller. Her flaws make her feel real. All of the characters in this book are wonderfully flawed, and those imperfections breathe life into them.

The story is told via the pages that Keek types up on an old typewriter. She doesn't want to call it a diary or journal, so I won't either, but it has the personal touch of the things one would write down privately. I find this personal storytelling to be effective in connecting the reader to Keek and generating sympathy for her situation. It feels as though she is sharing her truths with the reader alone. I like the way that Keek uses The Bell Jar and other Sylvia Plath works to supplement her story and illustrate some of the struggle it is causing her. It is woven into the text fluidly.

Keek does a lot of self-exploration and discovery in the novel, and not all of it is PG-13. She is mostly innocent, but enjoys exploring her sexuality gradually with her boyfriend, who is respectful and does not rush or pressure her. Some content, though, may be a little mature or graphic for younger teens.

I like this book and its raw honesty and flawed characters.
37 reviews2 followers
August 21, 2011
This is going to be a pretty short review because i don't have a whole lot to say. I really wanted to like And Then Things Fall Apart but there was not much about this book that I actually enjoyed.

I think all of the Sylvia Plath was a little too much for me. I feel like since I have never read The Bell Jar, i missed out on half of this book just because I didn't get any of the references. I always felt like I was missing something.

I also really couldn't connect with Keek very well. I felt like something was missing there. The way she reacted to her parents just seemed sort of flat to me and I really couldn't understand her relationship with her boyfriend.

One of my biggest pet peeves is over doing the chat speak in text messages. There are some text messages in this book that I literally had no idea what they were about due to extreme text talk. There's no reason that I, a 20 year old girl, shouldn't be able to interpret text speak but I really couldn't in this book.

Just because I didn't like this book doesn't mean others aren't going to like it. I actually do recommend it if you are one of those English major types or just like Sylvia Plath or have at least read The Bell Jar.
Profile Image for Rosa.
119 reviews4 followers
October 7, 2011
2.5.
This wasn't a terrible book, just not really for me. I didn't particularly care for any of the characters (and since the entire thing is from Keek's point of view when she's alone with the chicken pox at her grandmother's, you really don't get to know any secondary characters very well at all). By the later half of the book, Keek was starting to seriously get on my nerves with her incessant parallels to The Bell Jar, not to mention with the whole 'sofa king' thing. And (this is extremely nitpicky, I know) I had to deduct an entire star for the ridiculous text speak. I've never known a single person in real life to abrEV8 lyk ds. And I wouldn't guess that someone who's as much into reading as Keek supposedly is would either.
Profile Image for Christy.
942 reviews5 followers
March 23, 2012
Karina's life is falling apart (or so she thinks). Her parents are divorcing. She's a 15-year-old with chicken pox. She had a fight with her boyfriend. And on and on. Her obsession with Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar feeds her depressed state.

I thought the protagonist was whiny and I wanted to slap her and tell her to get a grip. The last chapter felt like some agent told the author to wrap up and be quick about it. The author jumps ahead in the story and magically the protagonist is cured and no longer depressed. I stuck it out hoping the book would get better, but it didn't.
Profile Image for Tracey.
2,065 reviews73 followers
February 21, 2018
Oh my goodness, this book did nothing for me. The only thing I enjoyed was the scattered poetry in-between chapters and which had just the right tone of anger and longing for a lost friend. But I still wish I hadn't wasted time reading this book.
Profile Image for Amy.
677 reviews
October 30, 2011
I wasn't planning on 5 stars, but you know what? It is amazing and I loved it, even if some of it made me a little squeamish. It's not perfect it's true, but insightful and funny and very well done. I tore through it.
2 reviews15 followers
February 9, 2013
AMAZING. It was me, written through pages and pages.
Profile Image for Sarah (YA Love).
669 reviews289 followers
November 29, 2015
Actually 4.5 stars

And Then Things Fall Apart by Arlaina Tibensky is a prime example of great contemporary Y.A. literature. Keek has a true, authentic voice, which I enjoyed immensely. I’m actually struggling right now trying to find the words to write this review because I loved this book that much.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure if And Then Things Fall Apart was a book I wanted to read when I first heard about it. I hadn’t read that many reviews, and I’ve never finished reading The Bell Jar, so I didn’t know if it was a book for me. When I was at NCTE, Arlaina Tibensky was signing, so I figured I’d buy a copy and get it signed for my classroom. Since then it’s been sitting on my shelf. Recently I bought a copy of Saving June by Hannah Harrington for my classroom, another book I haven’t read, and one of my freshmen read it. When she finished she told me she loved it and needed another book like Saving June. Since I haven’t read that one yet, I was at a loss, so I consulted Twitter. Thanks to Kelly at Stacked, I had a couple book recommendations for my student which included And Then Things Fall Apart. I didn’t have that in my classroom at the moment, so I gave my student the other recommend book and decided to read And Then Things Fall Apart. I know this is a long-winded story, but I’m SO GLAD I read it! Based on what my student said about Saving June and then Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers (which was the other read alike), I’m almost positive she’ll love And Then Things Fall Apart.

Anyway, back to why I loved this debut. I need to bring up Keek. She’s sick in bed with the chicken pox during summer vacation. Chicken pox become worse with age, so Keek is really suffering. To make matters worse, her mom is out of state, and her parents are about to get divorced, so she’s trapped at her Grandma’s house without any technology to interact with the outside world. But she does have a typewriter and her worn-with-love copy of The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. To give herself something to do, she decides to start writing. Arlaina Tibensky’s novel is essentially Keek’s book. She has a wonderful sense of humor that’s made up of mostly snark and wit. Her voice is authentic, so it’s easy to picture Keek. There isn’t much dialogue because Keek is isolated for the most part, but also because she’s a character that really lives in her head. The lack of dialogue didn’t bother me at all, and it wasn’t something that I noticed until I saw some reviews on Goodreads after finishing. Keek, who’s real name is Karina, is very mature for her age in the way that she thinks. But on the other hand, she’ll sometimes act immature when it comes to her boyfriend Matt and her reactions to her parents. Teens that view themselves as being more mature than their peers will really identify with Keek.

While Keek is mature and a deep thinker, she’s inexperienced with boys, which adds to her insecurity with Matt. When she’s confronted with moving forward sexually with Matt, she often consults The Bell Jar for advice. Her virginity is always on her mind, as is Matt. At times Matt drives her crazy and she can’t stand him. Other times she’s thinking about times when she was madly in love with him and her hormones were driving her actions. Keek’s really conflicted; she doesn’t know if her feelings are real and why she’s so scared to have sex with Matt. Some readers might be put off by Keek’s thoughts about sex and her virginity; they might see it as being too mature for some readers. I read Keek’s memories of Matt and her thoughts about her virginity as very real and what many teens probably go through and think about.

The only fault I found with And Then Things Fell Apart, is that sometimes Keek’s voice and thoughts felt off character. She started to sound more like an adult, or like I was reading a non-YA novel. I normally wouldn’t say this is a bad thing, but Keek at times was too smart for her age.

Overall, if you want to read a fantastic example of contemporary Y.A., then I can’t recommend And Then Things Fall Apart by Arlaina Tibensky enough. It’s humorous, honest, and just all-around great. I can’t wait to read more books written by Arlaina Tibensky.

P.S. If you’re currently on a budget, you’ll be happy to hear that this was released in paperback.
Profile Image for Rabiah.
488 reviews260 followers
July 28, 2012
Originally Posted at: http://iliveforreading.blogspot.com/2...

**This Review is based on an ARC (Advanced Reader's Copy). The final text/cover may change.**

"You know the saying, "It's darkest before the dawn," right?
Well, for me it was as bright as the freaking sun before the meteor hit.
I was ablaze with happiness.
And then things fall apart."

And Then Things Fall Apart tells us Keek's story, how her normal, perfect life went down in a couple of days. Her account of her summer where everything fell apart tells us of her parent's divorce, why she and her boyfriend fought and how someone she trusted in betrayed her. Sofa-King hilarious and realistically painful, this book is a summer debut you don't want to miss.

Keek. Who'd ever heard of this name? True, her real name's Karina, but ever since she was young and couldn't pronounce her own name then, it was Keek which everyone caught on. Keek's a BRILLIANT narrator. Her account of everyday is so enjoyable to read and through her writing (on a typewriter no less) we can feel her love for The Bell Jar (I'll talk about that further down) and the itchiness of her chicken pox. Keek and the reader will have such a close personal connection throughout the story.
Even though Keek is like "hate-liking" Matt throughout the course of the novel, I found him really likeable. I mean, he's a 'jock' I guess, but he's still really sweet and he loves Keek for who she is. Even when she starts wearing those stockings which she writes on, he stays with her and actually walks her back and forth so that she doesn't get picked on by the older students. AANDDD...he cooks! I'm really impressed.
Amanda. BLECKKKKKK. Okay, I won't talk too much about her except for the fact that I really hate her. You're just gonna have to read the book to find out how she plays a part in all of this.
Nic and Earl the Squirrel (:P) are really good supporting characters, yet I wish they made more of an appearance during the novel. I love how things turn out with them and it's cool to see how it all works out.

I've never actually heard of The Bell Jar before I read this book, and the book does heavily refer to it A LOT. I mean, I'm pretty sure, every page had AT LEAST 2-4 sentences about the book. And Chicken Pox. Another thing I've never actually had. Hope it isn't as bad as Keek's was (I'm 15 too...so it should be kinda deathly right? -_-) but I dunno, I'm curious about both.
I really liked the poems in between chapters, although it was somtimes replaced by letters or notes from people/Keek. I found one poem really nice, I copied it down here. It's called "Meat Aisle" (pg. 30):

Meat Aisle

My heart is sliced into pieces,
As red and glistening as marble steaks
Wrapped in cellophane
A sorrowing beast,
Its timid snout protrudes,
Sniffling and panting,
Hot breath and whiskers.
I am howling.
My teeth itch to snatch at skins.
My arms ache to embrace.
My essentials long for trust, securite,
A safe bed in front of the fire,
Where I can rest before tomorrow's hunt.

Overall, And Then Things Fall Apart is a novel about growing up, facing with difficulties through life, but making the best of it. Its a fabulous novel about self relization and finding out who you are. An AMAZING summer read, And Then Things Fall Apart is brilliant and hilariously true. Can't wait for more of Arlaina Tibensky's writing to come out. Absolutely Sofa-king LOVED IT!

**Thank you so much to Sarah Goldberg from FinePrint Literary Management for sending And Then Things Fall Apart for review and making me part of the blog tour!**
Profile Image for Magan.
364 reviews95 followers
October 10, 2012
[Review originally published on Rather Be Reading!]

I was so hopeful that And Then Things Fall Apart was going to be a sweet, fun read. It sounded like Keek was going through a lot and I was ready to go all Jersey Shore with a fist pump in celebration of another contemporary young adult book. I wish I could say that And Then Things Fell Apart lived up to my expectations.

Keek was a whiny fifteen-year-old character. She complained about absolutely everything. In the beginning, I gave her a lot of leeway because I understood she was dealing with tons of drama (i.e. a cheating dad, a runaway mother, and the chicken pox). And let’s face it – some (if not most) fifteen-year-olds are self-centered and annoying. Keek thought her world was ending because she’d gotten the chicken pox and she was upset her boyfriend hadn’t called her. She was hallucinating because of the fevers and often didn’t make much sense. She repeated herself endlessly. I sometimes found myself skipping over bits of text because she was saying the. exact. same. thing. again.

Keek is obsessed with two things, both of which I didn’t understand one bit. She is crazy about Sylvia Plath’s book The Bell Jar. She reads it constantly, references it multiple times on nearly every other page, and compares her situation to the characters. For someone who wasn’t familiar with the book, it was hard to care about that portion of the story. A lot of explaining was necessary to draw the parallel between Plath’s book and Keek’s life, but it didn’t really seem fitting when such an immature character was explaining the depths of Plath’s work.

Her second obsession: losing her virginity. I didn’t grasp why she “just wanted to get it over with.” This was where I felt most disconnected — Keek seemed so childish and young in many ways, but she was absorbed with Plath’s work and wanting to lose her virginity. Her actions and behavior didn’t convince me she was mature enough to understand or even begin to comprehend either of those two things. Her father had also just been outed for cheating on her mom; I didn’t believe someone in her position would treat something like their virginity so flippantly after finding out such devastating news.

The reader is very much inside Keek’s mind during the entire book. She’s solitary and alone because she’s sick, has few friends, and her boyfriend is MIA. Although I thought the concept for the book was fun, I found that there was only so much development that Tibensky could do with a sick character. She has rare conversations with her grandmother and she doesn’t communicate with her mom or dad. Due to the lack of dialogue, the story progressed slowly. I found it less believable that Keek would have matured in the ways that she did because she didn’t have anyone to guide her to a better understanding of all that was happening.

One of my least favorite parts of the book was the poetry. Keek is learning how to type and chooses to write poems. I didn’t feel like they blended into the story well. They didn’t add anything that gave me insight into Keek’s character and ultimately, I didn’t find they were necessary. I skipped over the poetry toward the end of the book because I felt like much of it became a filler.

Overall, I didn’t love And Then Things Fall Apart. I was on such a roll for great 2012 books, but this one didn’t cut it for me.
Profile Image for Judyth.
1,633 reviews43 followers
April 23, 2012
~4-4.5/5
[Taken from my blog: http://geekyreading.blogspot.com/2012... ]

I was expecting this to be good, and it was. I usually end up enjoying letter or journal style books, especially when it's about a person that might be rambling and thinking a lot throughout the book, and when I found out that's what this book is, I wasn't disappointed.
The book is about Keek, who has chicken pox and is staying with her Grandmother, while her parents are divorcing and she's trying to deal with her fight with her boyfriend Matt, and so is re-reading The Bell Jar, her favorite book, (which I've never read, and so have no idea what the actual similarities are between this book and that one) and typing up her feelings on an old typewriter.
So, I did like Keek. I really got to know her in this book, and agreed with her on several things. I enjoyed her thoughts on everything, and her musings on it all while being sick, and I felt a little bad for her at some points. One of my favorite musings of hers, I think, would have to be what she thought of virginity. I won't say much more, but I really enjoyed that. (Oh, also, sofa king. That is the most amazing thing, ever, and I love it, and am so glad I read this book, just for that. I mean, I'm glad I read the book for everything else, too, but that? Icing on the cake, or whatever. And if you don't understand those two words, say them together, aloud, very fast. Isn't that awesome?)
I enjoyed living through everything with Matt and her parents and her friends, and just everyone else around her. Her parents took a bit of a turnaround, and they both kind of suck, but it seems like her dad, surprisingly, it getting higher on the scale than her mother is (because what her mother did, completely sucks; I mean, what he did sucks too, but it's more impractical and hateful what she did. It's like she took business and pleasure and mixed them together, and she shouldn't have done that. Not that what he did wasn't wrong, though, because it was). And Matt? There were some really nice, steamy scenes with him, which I enjoyed. And some of the time I liked him. But, honestly, he's kind of a douche (again, I don't like that word, but sometimes it just kind of fits, okay?). And I don't think he's getting all that better at the end of the book. I feel like he should be, but that's not how things turned out. Her friends, on the other hand, were, and so that was nice at least. Well, I guess Keek is, too, which is good.
The ending left a little to be desired, something a bit bigger and more definite. But that's alright.
Aside from some of those things, the book was really good. I liked being in Keek's head, and I liked how her journals were; they were very fun. The book was fun, and very easy to get through, and I was a little surprised by how attached I got to it, what with not wanting to put it down. I am definitely looking forward to Tibensky publishing more books in the future.
Profile Image for Roberta R. (Offbeat YA).
402 reviews36 followers
April 22, 2018
Rated 4.5 really.

Excerpt from my review - originally published at Offbeat YA.

Pros: Gorgeous prose. Straightforward, engaging, lively-yet-deep lead that gets under your skin in the good way. "Bell Jar" references (if you love the book). Lots of bittersweet fun.
Cons (= WARNING!): Heavy petting and sexual desire are discussed at length by a 15 years old girl.
Will appeal to: Those who like journal entries, multifaceted musings and Sylvia Plath.

Can I go all fangirl over this book? Because seriously, folks, that's what I feel like doing. [...] I would like to buy a huge stack of copies of this novel (um, I should get rich before...so not likely) and hand them out to the apparently massive number of people who haven't read it - at least according to Goodreads statistics. One could blame it on the marketing - but I suspect that a book with virtually no action and bearing all those Bell Jar references discouraged many potential readers. Well, I'll do my best to win some of them back with this review.
Every chapter of this book is sort of a journal entry by the 15 years old narrator Keek (Karina). I say "sort of" because she actually stresses the fact that she wouldn't call her pages a diary or a journal (chapter "July 25"). Also, she addresses a supposed "dear reader" here and there, turning her "journal" into an example of metafiction. The same thing happens - though in a different context - because of the constant references Keek makes to "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath. Having read and loved said book, Tibensky's novel caught my attention and immediately ended up in my to-read list, while the reference probably worked reversely for people who a) haven't read The Bell Jar or b) read The Bell Jar but didn't like it. Now, if Plath's novel proved not to be your cup of tea, it is very unlikely that Keek's story may appeal to you, because The Bell Jar has such an impact on her that you will probably feel irritated at the girl, and consequently unable to enjoy her narrative. But if you haven't read The Bell Jar, don't let that keep you away from Tibensky's novel. You would miss Keek's introspective but lively prose, rich imagery, authentically-teen-yet-often-mature remarks and speculations. I am well past Keek's age, and haven't endured the same trials she goes through when I was; nonetheless, I was able to tune into her emotions and feel her authenticity. It may help if you (like Keek...and me) have always found solace in books, and have nurtured a passion for words since a very young age. Because if you have, Keek will become your Esther Greenwood - or a teen version of her - and will speak on your behalf. [...]

Whole review here.
Profile Image for Nikki (Wicked Awesome Books).
247 reviews66 followers
September 13, 2011
And Then Things Fall Apart is so far from what I thought it was going to be, but fantastic all the same. As depressing as it may sound for Keek to be stranded at her Gram’s house, with chicken pox –

like the flu, but with infectious and hideous wounds that itch like fire-breathing ants all over your body and could scar you for life if treated improperly. ~ pg. 8

– alone with her thoughts, her Gram’s old typewriter, and her cheating father living in the basement, it’s not. Keek’s life is in the process of a very fast disintegration and all she can do is watch, write, and relate to Sylvia Plath’s, The Bell Jar, but somehow, And Then Things Fall Apart is anything but depressing.

Keek ‘s brain is befuddled with fever, she’s angry at her parents, at her truth-withholding, now ignoring her boyfriend, but has enough wits about her to be hilariously cynical. She relates almost everything back to Plath and The Bell Jar and depression, but does so with a flair of humor. She’s lonely and disregarded and itchy and everything a 15 year old, only child of soon-to-be divorced parents should be.

But then she’s so much more. Keek is one of most well-developed and intelligent teen characters I’ve ever read. Not only is she all the things I said before, but she’s reasonable even when no one would expect her to be. Keek’s life isn’t easy, at least not at the moment, but she works through it. Can she be a bit melodramatic? Absolutely. But she knows that. She sees her own flaws and is upset about them, but doesn’t allow it to hold her down. She doesn’t even allow the broken trust and the broken family she now has to put her into a depression.

In typing her chicken pox filled summer days away, Keek deals with her issues. And the reader will get to meet a realistic, albeit very snarky and sassy, girl with actual issues that are easy to relate to. She loves her parents, loves her Gran, loves her boyfriend, loves her best friend, but also loves herself. Arlaina Tibensky infuses Keek with personality and makes her, not only her own, but the readers as well. We meet and know her family, experience her anger, her losses, her betrayals, and her joys almost firsthand.

And Then Things Fall Apart is a touching and comedic debut. Tibensky’s writing has a certain quirk to it that makes it compulsively readable and impossible to put down. The blunt humor had me reeling with laughter, while Keek’s internal turmoil and emotional conflicts add heart. Being in Keek’s mind is an unrestrained combination of parental shame, lusty thoughts, bouts of depression, and a whirlwind of every other emotion. Tibensky has instantly become an author to watch for and I’ll be picking up anything and everything she puts out there.
Profile Image for Nancy.
1,105 reviews406 followers
July 24, 2011
3.5
My take: Keek is short for Karina and she's just a 15 year old book geek who is cut off from civilization and sanity ash she convelesces in her grandmother's attic. She has the chicken pox which is much worse when you are a teenager. Her only company is a copy of Sylvia Plath's Bell Jar and an old typewriter. She isn't speaking to her adulterating father, her mother is choosing to be in California helping her own sister with a premature baby instead of caring for Keek, she and her boyfriend had a big fight, her best friend is the adulterating partner, and her high school best friend is estranged. So Keek writes on the typewriter.

The diary entries or whatever they would be called are a cross between self-centered and highly intellectual. The way the author fleshes out Keek develops her character very well. As a 15 year old teenager, she is self-centered. As a book geek, she puts many of us to shame. Unfortunately, that part was a little alienating since I haven't read Sylvia Plath. At the same time, Keek gives enough background information that Plath's work is reframed in Keek's mind and understandable.

Keek is obsessed with losing her virginity. She details the physical and sexual activities that she and Matt have managed to act out before she freaks out and has to leave. It is explicit enough that I would not hand the book to my teenage daughters with a recommendation. On the other hand, it is not fraught with unnecessary language (although swearing is present and I counted at least 3 or 4 'f' bombs) I wouldn't have a problem seeing it in a high school library.

The book is slow moving since Keek is nearly living in a vacuum. On the other hand, the limited contact she has with the people closest to her has definition and provides insight into her circumstances. Keek evolves while staying true to her character. Her opinions change quickly as she goes from loving Matt and everything about him to hating him passionately.

Language - moderate.
Sex - heavy talk
Swearing - moderate to strong

Recommend? Maybe to a certain population of students.
Profile Image for Elisquared.
462 reviews83 followers
December 13, 2012
This is a book I picked up last year at NCTE. I got to meet Arlaina Tibensky, and chat a little bit before getting my copy signed. She is hilarious, and based on her signature, has a love of Battlestar Galactica; it simply endeared me more to this awesome book! And Then Things Fall Apart is an introspective and intense look into a young woman’s life dealing with family, friend, and relationship issues.

Keek, the protagonist of the story, is stuck at her grandmother’s house with a gnarly case of the chicken pox. The only items she has to entertain herself are a busted old typewriter and a worn-out copy of Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar. To make matters worse she had an epic fight with her boyfriend, got stabbed in the back by her best friend, and saw her parents’ marriage crumble. This is all taken in and regurgitated in Keek’s journal, which is the format of the book.

Keek is kept just on the right side of self-centered, angsty teen. Tibensky uses The Bell Jar in a very clever way, juxtaposing many of the book’s events with instances of Keek’s life. The story is very stylistic, with minimal dialogue and a stream of consciousness prose. this won’t appeal to everyone, but the crafting of the inner thoughts never borders on the dull.

There are inserts of present events that make the book relevant, and the development of some of Keek’s relationships are nicely done. The best one is between Keek and her grandmother. There are familial connections subtly placed throughout the book, and Tibensky shows those connections strengthening under the worst conditions. You should all know by now that I’m a sucker for family relationships, so I love the results of all the events. Besides the her ability to craft those connections, Tibensky also handles the realities of cheating carefully and thoughtfully. She’s able to convey the fact that things aren’t black and white, but complex and unfair and heartbreaking. Adults can be completely selfish, both the cheaters and the cheatees, but at the same time can give everything to bridge the destruction. It is these intricacies that allow Keek to move past much of her selfish tendencies and really evaluate the important parts of her life.

Definitely not a book for everyone, I think And Then Things Fall Apart by Arlaina Tibensky is a great addition to the YA Contemporary genre. Not a fast sugar puff, but a slow reflection; you’ll need to freshen up on The Bell Jar and take your time during reading. But don’t take my word for it, check out And Then Things Fall Apart at your local bookstore or library!
Profile Image for Clementine.
1,569 reviews168 followers
September 23, 2011
For fifteen year old Keek, things have certainly been better. She’s in a huge fight with her boyfriend, her best friend betrayed her, her parents are splitting up, and Keek’s suffering from a wicked case of the chicken pox. Because her mom’s across the country visiting her sister and her dad is moping in the basement, Keek’s staying at her grandmother’s house, where technology doesn’t exist and all she has to distract her is her beloved copy of The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath an ancient typewriter.

Arlaina Tibensky’s cynical coming-of-age debut is, all things considered, pretty great. Told in diary-format, Keek’s documents her time at her grandmother’s house on the typewriter, alternating between writing poetry, lamenting about how sucky her life is, and comparing herself to Plath’s heroine Esther Greenwood in The Bell Jar. This is a smart, self-aware novel told in a conversational tone that is likely to resonate especially with slightly-more-jaded youth.

Keek is fifteen, and while much of her personality indicates this, she also often seems older than the average fifteen-year-old. This works, for the most part, as her entries vacillate between self-centered melodrama and highly introspective musings on the state of her life and on the characters in her favorite literature. She is oftentimes funny and passionate, and while she’s clearly taken with the fictional character of Esther Greenwood, her fascination with her never takes over Keek’s own personality.

Because of the novel’s format, voice is essential to the story working. The element of Keek’s voice is strong: it is clear, real, and honest. She fixates on the small details that would plague a teenage girl who is stuck without technology to distract her, which lends credibility to what Tibensky is attempting to do. There are moments where Keek is almost too self-aware for a young teenager though, and these moments are almost too “meta” to be authentic. Most readers will overlook this, though.

The novel moves fairly slowly (because Keek’s world has slowed down) and lacks much in the way of dialogue. Readers who prefer a quick story are going to struggle with Keek’s internal monologue. However, those who don’t mind narration (especially smart narration) are going to be rewarded: this is a book worth reading, and it’s a strong contender for what makes great contemporary YA.

And Then Things Fall Apart by Arlaina Tibensky. Simon & Schuster: 2011. Library copy.
Profile Image for Kelsey.
466 reviews11 followers
December 24, 2011
And Then Things Fall Apart was a fantastic contemporary novel that reminded me why it was one of my favorite genres of YA. I went to Arlaina's signing a few months back and was very intrigued by the passages she read. It took me awhile to dive in myself but, once I did, it was hard to stop reading! There was something so original and unique about Arlaina's debut. The fact that Keek was writing her story from bed while suffering from chicken pox put an interesting spin on everything. I was worried this would make the story less enjoyable, but it only added to how much I liked it. Keek (short for Karina) was an excellent narrator and although she was younger than me, I still felt a connection with her.

Keek was a very realistic character and I felt for her, but I also rooted for her to overcome her different struggles. Although Keek was only 15, she was very mature and I connected with her love for film and literature. One thing I know I have to do ASAP is read The Bell Jar! This novel played a large role in the story and in Keek's life.

The style of this story was a very unique way to tell it, but it worked perfectly. Keek's voice danced from the pages and I loved how sarcastic and real she was. Everything Keek dealt with was believable and happened for a reason. She had to deal with a lot over the course of the novel and every page allowed me to better understand her and what she was going through.

There were quite a few secondary characters, but none as solid as Keek. Nic and Keek's grandmother were two of my favorites and I only wish we could have seen more of them.

Some people are put off by the set up of And Then Things Fall Apart, but I loved it. Keek is just writing from her sick bed, but we get to see so much more. She talks about past experiences and what happened leading up to this moment. Everything came together extremely well and Keek learned a lot about herself and her friends/family by the end of the book.

If you're looking for a quick and entertaining read, with a unique twist and fantastic narrator, this is the book for you! I loved the way it was told and Keek is one of the most memorable narrators I have ever read about. I'm looking forward to seeing what Arlaina releases next, I'm hoping it's something else contemporary!

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Brittany.
1,037 reviews128 followers
September 16, 2011
Keek and her boyfriend had an epic fight, and soon there after Keek gets the chicken pox. Her parents are fighting too, since her dad got caught cheating and moved in with his mother. Keek's mother is cross country helping care for a preemie cousin. So now Keek is stuck at her grandmother's house, which has practically nothing made after 1960. So Keek's grandmother brings her an old typewriter so that in between fits of fever and readings of The Bell Jar, Keek might write down some of her thoughts and emotions instead of just bottling them up.

I really loved Keek's grandmother. She was frank and bold and fascinating. I loved it when she tells Keek to "Class it up, kid." Fantastic. She was probably my favorite character. Keek was completely delirious throughout most of the book and we slowly were let in on her family's secrets and her failing love-life. It was interesting jumping around the past few months with Keek narrating them as they came to her. I was anxiously waiting to figure out what was going on with her boyfriends and her parents. This is a great novel about dealing with divorcing parents. This story was also about friendships and relationships, about how sometimes you are so close to someone that you can end up trusting them too much, or not seeing things about them that you don't want to. I loved all the reference to The Bell Jar. It made me want to pick up and re-read my copy, which I will probably have to do soon. What a great piece of literature for Keek's mind to play with while she is feverish and isolated. I agree the Keek is sofa king(read the book) not a name and rather sounds like something that you might do when you see something gross. I really enjoyed this book and it was exactly what I felt like reading this summer. It was a nice summer read. Enough stimuli without being a too much for my sun-addled brain. If you get a chance to check this one out I would recommend you do so.

First Line:
"I once watched a collector kill a monarch butterfly on a nature show by putting it under a glass dome with a piece of cotton soaked in gasoline."


Favorite Lines:
"Cute as a fucking button. Esther/Sylvia was as serious as a nuclear bomb."


Read more: http://www.areadingnook.com/#ixzz1UAP...
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