Nothing Like You
Nothing Like You
Nicole Mealey
English 9
Mrs. Natoli
October 31, 2011
In the book “Nothing Like You,” Lauren Strasnick constructs the theme of the story about keeping secrets. This was supported by several passages in the book. The plot was also about how keeping secrets can backfire and cause friendships to end and relationships to become much more complex.
After Holly lost her virginity to the popular Paul Bennet, a guy she barely knows, she becomes eaten by guilt after assuming that their hook up was a one night thing. Which it was not, Paul wanted to continue to see Holly. But, Paul had happened to have a girlfriend named Saskia Van Wyck, which to Holly she seemed like the perfect girlfriend. She was pretty, smart, and popular, everything that Holly thought the opposite of herself as. As shown in this passage taken out of the book, Holly couldn’t decide whether she was excited the way it was or guilty of the situation since at first she was not close to Saskia, “I suddenly had a secret. And it made me feel guilty, yeah, but I also felt really fantastic. I felt the opposite of dead, really what I’ve been striving for, and someone suddenly had wanted me in a way I hadn’t been wanted before” (Strasnick, 57). Paul also lied to Holly making her think that Holly was the one he would do anything for, “ I didn’t even mind having to keep things to myself. I mean, I thought the whole situation was really unfortunate, but I knew that I was the one he wanted more. That if she weren’t so fragile, so unstable, he’d be with me for real. No Saskia. No secret affair” (57).
Holly did not tell anyone about this relationship, it could have been because she was embarrassed or was afraid someone was going to tell Paul or Saskia. She couldn’t even build up the guts to tell her best friend Nils.
Nils could tell Holly was acting differently, he had even stopped spending all of his time his
Nicole Mealey
English 9
Mrs. Natoli
October 31, 2011
In the book “Nothing Like You,” Lauren Strasnick constructs the theme of the story about keeping secrets. This was supported by several passages in the book. The plot was also about how keeping secrets can backfire and cause friendships to end and relationships to become much more complex.
After Holly lost her virginity to the popular Paul Bennet, a guy she barely knows, she becomes eaten by guilt after assuming that their hook up was a one night thing. Which it was not, Paul wanted to continue to see Holly. But, Paul had happened to have a girlfriend named Saskia Van Wyck, which to Holly she seemed like the perfect girlfriend. She was pretty, smart, and popular, everything that Holly thought the opposite of herself as. As shown in this passage taken out of the book, Holly couldn’t decide whether she was excited the way it was or guilty of the situation since at first she was not close to Saskia, “I suddenly had a secret. And it made me feel guilty, yeah, but I also felt really fantastic. I felt the opposite of dead, really what I’ve been striving for, and someone suddenly had wanted me in a way I hadn’t been wanted before” (Strasnick, 57). Paul also lied to Holly making her think that Holly was the one he would do anything for, “ I didn’t even mind having to keep things to myself. I mean, I thought the whole situation was really unfortunate, but I knew that I was the one he wanted more. That if she weren’t so fragile, so unstable, he’d be with me for real. No Saskia. No secret affair” (57).
Holly did not tell anyone about this relationship, it could have been because she was embarrassed or was afraid someone was going to tell Paul or Saskia. She couldn’t even build up the guts to tell her best friend Nils.
Nils could tell Holly was acting differently, he had even stopped spending all of his time his