I picked this one up at Word on the Street a few weeks ago, admittedly because I liked the cover. I don’t believe in not judging books by their covers and I’m a sucker for this one’s casewrap cover.A peek inside reveals that the whole story is told in emails, Twitter and text messages, appropriate for the story set in 2006 to 2008 (in case your first thought, like mine, was, “Who stills emails their friends?”).Izabell is a lawyer who lives in Atlanta but is studying to take the California bar in case she decides one day to move home to San Francisco. She’s giving online dating a try but just when she meets someone interesting, Izabell hooks up with her best friend, Peter. What follows is a complicated web of dating, not dating, falling in love and becoming friends played out mostly in email correspondence but with a few texts and Tweets thrown in. Hint: pay attention to who’s CC’d and which emails are drafted but not sent.Because of the layout of the text, this one is a quick read. It’s also a great example of how we live our lives, or did five years ago. I’d love to read something like this incorporating texts, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare and other platforms (with emails reserved for work).This book reminds me of a short film that debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival this year, Noah. It was available on YouTube for a time, but unfortunately, has been taken down now. It’s the story of a modern teenage relationship as seen on the monitor of a boy’s computer screen, and it’s heartbreakingly realistic. I picked up the book because epistolary novels are kind of interesting. I'm always curious about narrative structure and I'm interested to see how a writer handles the challenges of characterization in this situation. The emails and drafts work fairly well. The "Save As Draft" conceit is the most intriguing element because it does insert some complexity, that "what if" element, into the experience. There are a couple of instances of SMS, twitter updates, and an occasional FB status change but they weren't consistent enough for me. The problem is that the book, much like its characters, is attractive on the surface but lacks depth. I do not understand characters like these at all. I have never had patience for characters who natter on and on about wanting a loving, committed and lasting relationship and then act and think in ways that are shallow, selfish, destructive, fickle, and so on. I understand confusion and poor decision making but not this kind of behavior. It's no wonder they can't keep it together. It is especially bad when you add the "love triangle" plot into the mix. I guess we're supposed to forgive them their self-serving and generally lame behavior because they are so beautiful, so sparkling, so irresistible? Ugh. So, yeah, I'm biased. I approached this book like I do most books that identify themselves as "chick-lit" as something of an experiment in ethnography. I am curious about the behaviors, the culture, the interactions of these women. I don't even know how to describe them... Victoria's Secret binge shopping, wealthy but you know really arty and free-spirited, young, professionals (who never really seem to work). I'd probably put this at a 1.5. The experiment in form was handled pretty well but the rest fell flat. Now, if you are someone who can connect with these situations and characters then I would think the book would be a nice little treat. In any event, it is a very quick and light read.
What do You think about Save As Draft (2011)?
I really enjoyed this. It was light and fun and perfect for summer.
—celdia
I'm a sucker for these novels written totally in emails/texts. :)
—Subhah
This is EXACTLY my kind of chick lit. Loved it.
—LadyW
