'WHY GIRLS ARE WEIRD' | A review Protagonist escapes through Internet

The twentysomething struggles to balance reality and her new persona.
By THERESA M. HEGEL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
"Why Girls Are Weird," by Pamela Ribon (Downtown Press, $12)
Pamela Ribon's "Why Girls Are Weird" is another installment in the ever-expanding chick-lit genre.
Anna Koval, the twentysomething protagonist who spends her days at an unsatisfying job as a librarian's assistant and her nights pining for her ex-boyfriend, narrates the story in a kind of casually hip and conversational tone.
To pass time at her dull job, Anna teaches herself HTML and begins posting semi-autobiographical (but mostly fictional) journal entries on the Internet as a birthday present to her friend Dale, who is always nagging her to start writing again. The primary fabrication in her journal is her wonderful boyfriend Ian, a character cobbled together from all of her best memories of her ex.
Much to Anna's surprise, the online journal develops a strong following, and her inbox is overloaded with praise from adoring fans. Of particular note are Tess, a bubbly, college-age girl intent on befriending Anna, and a mysterious guy who uses the screen name "LDobler" and seems to have more than a friendly interest in Anna, in spite of the presence of her ideal and imaginary beau.
As her Web site grows in popularity, Anna must lead a double life and even resorts to an elaborate system of coded index cards to keep track of the exploits of her online persona. When reality threatens her carefully crafted fictional life, Anna is forced to take a close look at herself and discover who she is and what is truly important to her.
The good and the bad
The book is an easy read and uses technological advances as literary techniques. Traditional narrative passages make up the majority of the novel, but the book also includes portions of Anna's online journal entries, e-mails to and from her fans, and even a transcript of an instant messaging session.
Although "Why Girls Are Weird" is enjoyable, there is something missing from it. Some of the characters are a little flat, especially Anna's sisters and ex-boyfriend. A family crisis and the ensuing catharsis almost seem tacked on, as though they belong in a completely different novel where they can be explored more fully.
Ribon, at one time, had a fairly popular online journal called "Squishy" and many of the novel's journal entries were adapted from real postings, which leads to speculation of just how much of "Why Girls Are Weird" was adapted from the author's life.
hegel@vindy.com