Hi, everyone! We’re so excited to bring you our discussion questions (and answers) for Fresh! We hope you enjoyed reading it along with us this month, and be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Before we get into the questions, I just wanted to pop in and say that unfortunately, Fresh just wasn’t for me. In fact, I really struggled to get through it, and it actually caused me to slump. But this is ok! Not every book can be for me, and I am confident I will bounce back. For the sake of my own enjoyment and my own reading routine, I DNF’ed Fresh, so I won’t be answering the questions this month. Love, Mary.
Question 1: Wood utilizes footnotes throughout the story as another way of letting the reader into Eliott’s mindset. What do you think of this addition to the narration and did you enjoy it? On the subject of narration, how does the use of this particular narrative style (first person POV with the fourth wall breaking) add to the story?
Caitlyn: I personally really like the narrative style. I can’t think of any other book that I’ve read (at least recently) that uses the same type of narration, and I think that makes it really unique! I like the footnotes, the lists, the “choose your own adventure” nods, text messages, and even the scene retelling that uses screenplay writing. All of it makes the book more unique and true to who Elliot is as a narrator and it allows us to learn about her in a more personal way.
Cossette: I found it to be quite quirky and different from anything I’ve ever read before! I think it’s definitely an effective way for us to get to know Elliot better, and it almost reminds me of Pippin (the musical) with the fourth wall breaks. I don’t think this story would’ve been as fun or impactful if it wasn’t for the narrative style.
Question 2: What were your initial thoughts about Fresh? What are your final thoughts? Would you read this book again? Would you read another book written by the same author?
Caitlyn: This was my second time reading Fresh, and while I didn’t enjoy it as much as I did the first time, I still really like it! I like that I haven’t read many books like it. I feel that it has a distinctive voice, which is something I look for. Because of its unique writing style, I definitely would read more by Margot Wood.
Cossette: Similarly to Caitlyn, I found myself enjoying Fresh less this time around. The first time I read it, I didn’t love it but it was an enjoyable experience, and I thought the same thing this time around. I don’t think I would reread this book for a third time, but I’m glad I did reread it. I’m definitely interested to see what Wood writes next.
Question 3: How did having Fresh set at a small, liberal arts school, like Emerson College, impact the story? Would you want to read more books set in that world?
Caitlyn: I think that Fresh is so tailored to Emerson College, and if it was set anywhere else the story would be completely different. The fact that Emerson College is a liberal arts school allowed Elliot to go out of her comfort zone with classes, and I don’t think that her “class project” when fly at many other schools because the idology of the school is different than some bigger schools.
Cossette: I don’t think Fresh would’ve worked anywhere else, honestly! I think Emerson College in itself is just as much of a character as Elliot is. If you took the story of Fresh and put it at a larger school, it simply wouldn’t work. I’m thinking about how the events of Fresh would unfold if it occurred at my alma mater, and it simply wouldn’t. I don’t think my school has anything even remotely close to the classes Elliot takes, and her “class project” would definitely not happen the same way.
Question 4: Did you find Elliot to be an interesting narrator and protagonist? Did you find her relatable? How did you feel about her decisions throughout the book?
Caitlyn: What I really appreciate is that Elliot is unapologetically herself. While Elliot goes through quite a character arc (which I’ll talk about in another question!) I do think that in general she has a strong sense of self. She goes through a lot of self discovery, but I feel that through the majority of the story, she knows who she is and what her motivations are. Which I think makes her an interesting character. That doesn’t mean that I always agree with her choices but I do think that her choices are always in character.
Cossette: I think she was definitely interesting, to say the least! I don’t think I really resonated with her, but I know a lot of people who did. Seconding what Caitlyn said — Elliot is herself at all times, and I appreciate that she never really wavered from her core beliefs. While I didn’t always agree with her decisions, I did respect them — and her.
Question 5: How successfully do you think this book could be adapted for screen? What format would like to see it adapted in?
Caitlyn: I absolutely think that Fresh could easily be adapted for the screen. During this read (my second time reading Fresh) I found myself thinking about that a lot, actually! The writing lends itself to a documentary-type storytelling, that I think easily translates. I think it could also work in the vlog-documentary style that is used for The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and Emma Approved, if that makes sense. I think that there are a lot of really cool ways that this could be adapted for the screen!
Cossette: Oh! I think it’d be so cool to see a vlog-documentary style for Fresh! I also think it’d be fun to do as a play. Maybe a one woman play, filled with comedic moments?
Question 6: A huge part of Fresh is self discovery. What do you think of Elliot and Lucy’s personal character arcs and how do you think they helped each other grow?
Caitlyn: Both Elliot and Lucy go through some really significant character arcs, and I don’t think that either one of them would’ve gone through those arcs without the other. Lucy is definitely my favorite character in Fresh, probably because I can relate to her more than I can Elliot, and I loved seeing her growth throughout the story. She really comes into her own, and I firmly believe that her friendship with Elliot is the catalyst for that.
Then on the other side of that, Elliot is able to become a more focused and compassionate person through her friendship with Lucy. Really, their friendship means everything to me and I think that it’s the strongest part of the book.
Cossette: Lucy was one of my favorite characters in Fresh, and I just loved watching her grow and come into her own. I think that at the beginning, she’s very sheltered, and unsure of who she is outside of her family — in the way that a lot of college freshmen are. And so, when you add loud, outgoing Elliot to Lucy, it’s obvious that Lucy would be drawn out of her shell a little more.
Question 7: What other books/movies/etc. would you recommend to people who liked Fresh?
Caitlyn: I mean, how can I not say Emma Approved and Clueless?
Cossette: Is it cheating if I recommend Emma Approved and Kamila Knows Best? I love Emma and Emma retellings and adaptations, so that’s where my mind naturally gravitated towards!
Thank you so much for reading our discussion questions this month! We hope you had a fun time answering them alongside us, and we’ll see you again next month!
