Maya's Thursday Post

         A little further into the book, around page thirty, we are told of Tony’s first girlfriend Veronica. In novels, relationships usually have a set way of materializing. Love at first sight, the boy/girl next door, the good friends who ultimately end up becoming romantically involved. Tony’s relationship, though, is rather strange. Their time together comes off as dry and almost forced, making it slightly uncomfortable to read. There were some parts that were understandable. I think it’s completely justifiable that Tony felt uncomfortable at Veronica’s family’s house. Meeting his girlfriend’s parents for the first time was probably incredibly stressful which is why he analyzed every move they made and every word they said. Still, it seemed as though he was walking on eggshells rather than just being careful around Veronica’s parents. 

          When the two of them are talking about the books and music they like, it kind of felt like they were in some sort of intellectual competition. Veronica would say something negative about Tony’s taste in literature or music and he would think of a way to defend himself against it, almost prove himself to her. It was way too similar to the frigid wife the dentist character had in The Hangover. While those two weren’t exactly in intellectual competition, something was obviously off with them. The Hangover relationship is made more blatant for comedic purposes, but I feel like this book scene really shows how there was just something off about Tony and Veronica from the start. 

          Every time he’d crack one of his sort of lame jokes, it was cringe-worthy. You kind of almost felt bad for him. You can sort of tell that he is a caring guy, though, when he points out that the girl who was cheated on was more upset by the fact that she wasn’t the sole winner of that particular guy’s affections instead of the fact that she was being cheated on. It was a strange quote to read. Partly because this girl’s situation is the entire premise of the show “The Bachelor”. Girls leave the show and go back home distraught that they weren’t the one picked to be in a fake relationship with some random guy.