"Piper Perish" is the debut novel of a new YA writer, Kayla Cagan. This novel has so many wonderful things about it. Cagan has done an amazing job of bringing together so many elements to make this a cohesive and intriguing novel. The novel follows the last semester of high school and the summer of a young artist, Piper Perish, who has to deal with crazy forthcomings in her friendships, a psycho sister, dating relationships and trying to get into NYSCFA, the art conservatory of her dreams.
There are so many things that Cagan does right in this novel, but first off, I have to talk about the way it is written. Cagan writes this through the perspective of Piper's journal, but throws in some twists. Since Piper is an artist, there are beautiful and unique paintings throughout the book that just add to the emersion. In addition to this, Cagan does an incredible job of being able to write from the perspective of a journal entry, while making the scene seem like it is happening right now. The transition from present to past and vice versa is done so well, that the writing flow does not break as the author transitions between the two.
The storyline for this book is fantastic because it combines the real struggle of finishing up senior year with the creative life of an artist. Even being a sophomore in college, I was able to relate to this because I do remember how much of a struggle it was to apply for colleges, wait to hear back, and then have to deal with financing and try to figure out if it was affordable. This novel truly hits the importance of that because it is something that is incredibly hard to deal with a lot of the time. This novel also went on to discuss the craziness of trying to get into a conservatory and the competitiveness that comes into play when applying for them. It was so refreshing to see this because this topic isn't touched on a lot in YA novels. It is a very hard process to try and get into a conservatory and the reality and insecurities of a student applying to a conservatory is touched on here.
Cagan's characters are incredibly dynamic, from Piper to Enzo, and CJ to Marli. All of Cagan's characters have depth to them and you end up loving them in their own special way. It is so amazing to see how every character has such a depth to them that you want to know the whole story for each and every one of them. Cagan even has that one teacher that everyone loves. Which is so true because no matter how many years of school you go through, there is always that one teacher that will be your favorite.
Overall, Cagan has created a unique and beautiful novel. The story focuses on friendship, future, the ability to follow one's dreams and passions, and the importance and beauty of art.
"It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop." -Andy Warhol
