As the phrase “Y.O.L.O.” has infiltrated youth culture and rivals the infinity symbol for phrases or objects most tattooed on a teenager, “The Spectacular Now” by Tim Tharp examines the validity of the philosophy of living in the “now.” Sutter Keely, self-proclaimed as God’s own drunk, believes in nothing more than enjoying the present with his curvaceous girlfriend, Cassidy; his best friend, Ricky; and his Big Gulp filled with 7-Up and whiskey. With a seemingly unlimited amount of parties to attend, stories to tell, and people to love and make laughter with, Sutter doesn’t see the point of growing up; he subscribes to the Peter Pan way of life.
Once Cassidy breaks up with him, Sutter’s plans come crashing down, resulting in a drunken blackout on a random person’s lawn. It is there Sutter meets Aimee Finecky, paper route girl and local N.A.S.A. nerd. Hoping to find the location of his car after the previous night, Sutter accompanies Aimee on her morning route, learns they attend the same school, and decides to befriend her with the intention of building up her confidence and self-worth. With Aimee’s glasses, horse decorated t-shirts, and soft-spokenness against Sutter’s charming personality and popularity, the essentials for a “Pretty in Pink” nerd makeover and blossoming romance are set.
Instead, Tharp exchanges any ’80s teen movie moments for a realistic portrayal of Sutter’s relationship with Aimee and his alcoholism. Readers will wince alongside Sutter as Aimee’s straight-out-of-an-episode-of-“Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” parents and others take advantage of her kindness and realize that she has had to continually escape to the world of her science fiction books.
Sutter introduces Aimee to living in the “spectacular now,” only to cause a turn of events that will make readers consider and then reconsider whether Aimee’s philosophy of unconditional love or Sutter’s “now” is any better than the other. In what could easily turn into an after school special on the dangers of drinking, “The Spectacular Now” trusts readers to decide what significance Sutter’s addiction has in his relationship with Aimee and his future.
Written with as much honesty as Stephen Chbosky’s “Perks of Being a Wallflower,” Tharp’s “The Spectacular Now” has a conclusion so unlimited for different interpretations, I felt like I was reading an ending as brutally bittersweet as that of “The Giver.” Readers will painfully turn the last couple of pages and yearn for the customary epilogue most novels provide to soothe our powerful emotional investments. The scenario readers will find themselves in is comparable to the frustration Bradley Cooper’s character in “Silver Linings Playbook” felt when he read the ending to “A Farewell to Arms” and threw it out the window. Tharp provokes readers to evaluate Sutter’s decisions long after the novel ends, making “The Spectacular Now” a very worthy read.
