Did I pick this book up solely because there was a dog on the cover? Perhaps. Was I pleasantly surprised at how much I ended up loving the book? Yes, yes, I was.
Charming as a Verb follows Henri Haltiwanger, a senior student who could charm the pants off just about anyone he meets. Popular and well-known at the FATE academy in New York City, Henri masks the struggles of being a first-generation Haitian son whose shoulders are straining under all the expectations his parents have for him attending Columbia University with easy smiles and a side hustle as a trusted dog walker. The only person who doesn’t seem to buy into Henri’s charms is classmate and neighbour, Corinne Troy. Smart, studious, and prickly, Corinne has little time for anything that won’t get her into Ivy League schools. But when Corinne uncovers Henri’s side hustle and blackmails him to help her change her image at the school and make her seem more approachable to colleges, Henri ends up realising that Corinne might be more than what he thought she was.
While I greatly enjoyed the entire book, I want to talk about two things in particular that stood out to me (besides Philippe’s great writing, obviously). First, the relatability. Being in Henry’s head was a visceral experience; it brought me right back to my last year of high school and all the anxiety, fear, and the pressure we all put on ourselves to have a bright future. The anxieties that come with filling out a college application, the pressure from parents to get into a prestigious university, and the inane fear that you are seen as good, but merely not good enough to cut it was perfectly portrayed in Henri.
Henri is what I like to call “dumb of ass, pure of heart” (which, mind you, is one of my favourite tropes). He is a good guy, but even good guys make the wrong choices when put under indescribable pressure and as much as I wanted to strangle Henri for some choices he made in this book, I always understood them and can honestly say that, if put in his shoes, I would have done some things exactly how he went about them. This only goes to show how relatable and real Henri was to me. I think Philippe did something that is so rarely achieved in good fiction where you feel as morally grey as the characters do and it makes you wonder to what lengths you would go if given certain opportunities.
The other thing that this book absolutely nailed was the discussion surrounding what it means to be yourself and how often you have to adapt and change your persona to fit within a certain type of group or appeal to professional people. Henri is many things—business savvy, charming, always on top of things—but he’s also someone who is very aware of the systemic racism and prestige that comes with old money and knowing the right people in your life. Henri does everything he can to come up on top and sometimes that means he can’t talk about his dream of designing sneakers and rather opt for a ‘safer’ discussion of future goals to appeal to Columbia. He has to make himself fit to accommodate others and that struggle accompanies him through his good and bad decisions.
Similarly, Corinne faces a lot of backlash for the way she is. Reminiscent of Paris Geller from Gilmore Girls, Corinne cares first and foremost about going to an Ivy League. She doesn’t care that she’s brash and often scares off people because she has her goals and she will do anything to achieve them. Yet, when it is conveyed that she’s too ‘robotical’ for schools to take her seriously and has to be more of a team player, Corinne accedes and needs Henri to transform her into a party girl, into someone who is a friend to all. While she reverts to her usual self quite quickly, the message behind her transformation is clear—young people are pressured into fitting the norms that the social world sets for them. Though this book is funny, entertaining, and made me laugh out loud quite a few times, I feel like this is its biggest strength with the way it discusses who we are, who we want to be, and who others want us to be. Whether that’s friends, family members, or faculty staff, everyone has a picture-perfect version of themselves and one that’s real. And Philippe brought that across so beautifully.
All in all, Charming as a Verb was as entrancing as the cover promised to be, showing the excruciating pressure teens are to start their futures right all while making me nostalgic for my own high school days. With a bunch of funny antics and adorable dogs in the mix, Philippe’s second novel is perfect for anyone needing moral support through their senior year or who wants to relive their own high school days.
Charming As A Verb is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of October 13th 2020.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Henri “Halti” Haltiwanger can charm just about anyone. He is a star debater and popular student at the prestigious FATE academy, the dutiful first-generation Haitian son, and the trusted dog walker for his wealthy New York City neighbors. But his easy smiles mask a burning ambition to attend his dream college, Columbia University.
There is only one person who seems immune to Henri’s charms: his “intense” classmate and neighbor Corinne Troy. When she uncovers Henri’s less-than-honest dog-walking scheme, she blackmails him into helping her change her image at school. Henri agrees, seeing a potential upside for himself.
Soon what started as a mutual hustle turns into something more surprising than either of them ever bargained for. . . .
This is a sharply funny and insightful novel about the countless hustles we have to keep from doing the hardest thing: being ourselves.
