Book Review: Unscripted, by Nicole Kronzer (2020)

 

Hardcover edition of Unscripted, by Nicole Kronzer, 2020. I bought my signed copy at the Red Balloon bookstore in Saint Paul, and I got my bookmark when I gave Nicole and Katharine Woodman-Maynard an F. Scott Fitzgerald walking tour. (Photo by Mark C. Taylor)

Author Nicole Kronzer

Unscripted is the debut young adult novel of author Nicole Kronzer. Released in April of 2020, Unscripted is the story of Zelda, a high-school student who loves improvisational comedy. As the novel opens, Zelda and her brother Will are on their way to improv camp at the Rocky Mountain Theater Arts Summer Camp. Zelda’s enthusiasm is quickly dampened when she finds that she’s one of just a handful of girls at the entire camp. The girls don’t even have a counselor for their cabin.

Zelda earns a highly coveted spot on the varsity improv team, coached by the hunky Ben, who is just a few years older than Zelda. Ben is flirtatious towards Zelda when they’re off stage, but during varsity rehearsals he offers her no support and doesn’t protect her from the toxic masculinity of the rest of the all-male team. Really, the first clue that Ben is an idiot is the fact that he has no idea who F. Scott Fitzgerald is. He asks about her name, “Like the video game?” Zelda responds, “And the Fitzgerald.” Ben has no idea what she means, but he finally recalls that Leonardo DiCaprio was in the movie of The Great Gatsby. Zelda tells him, “It’s also a good book.” (p.33)

Unscripted deals unflinchingly with the atmosphere of toxic masculinity at the theater camp, and the novel shows how soul-crushing it is for Zelda to deal with. Unscripted is an excellent novel, and Kronzer paints an effective portrait of how Zelda chooses to navigate the difficult minefield of the camp. Unscripted is also very funny, and the jokes and skits the characters come up with feel authentic. One of the parts I found the funniest was Zelda writing a list of “Funny Dead Bodies,” concluding with “Hitler? That’s punching up. Or other things Nazi-adjacent? …But what are decades-old Nazi bodies doing undecomposed in the woods?” (p.104)

If you’re looking for a fresh new YA novel that tackles a serious topic, but will still make you laugh, check out Unscripted.