At seventeen, Anna K. is at the top of Manhattan and Greenwich society, and the apple of her father's eye. Although, she prefers the company of her horses and Newfoundland dogs over her perfect, yet boring, boyfriend, Alexander W.
Anna may be scandal-free, but those around her seem to attract more drama than they can handle: Anna's brother, Steven, and his girlfriend, Lolly, are in the midst of a sexting scandal; Kimmie, Lolly's younger sister, is struggling to be a regular teen after an accident derailed her Olympic ice dancing dreams; and Steven's best friend, Dustin, is madly in love with Kimmie however, the feelings are not mutual.
Anna orbits around her friends and manages to stay out of trouble. That is until the night she meets notorious playboy, Alexia "Count" Vronsky, at Grand Central Station. He Anna's polar opposite—the quintessential bad boy with the reputation to match. They fall madly in love, with neither of them having actually experienced true love before. When a shocking revelation threatens to tear them apart, Anna is forced to question who she really is and if anyone really knows her at all, including herself.
Decadent and soapy, Lee's modern retelling of Anna Karenina is a slow burn, high-society, teen drama/love story. And while I agree with the Gossip Girl comparisons (revolving around the lives of privileged upper-class adolescents living in Manhattan's Upper East Side), I found Anna K totally unique, a fresh take on the beloved classic.
Despite its huge cast, every character is well rounded and highly developed with each having a distinctive voice. Lee utilizes multiple points of view to further flesh out the story which takes place over a school year. Although there is plenty of fluff, Lee tackles some weightier topics: addiction, familial and cultural expectations, socialism, sexism, depression, and the effects of social media.
Anna K is a reimagined story about first love and first heartbreak. Highly recommend!
JENNY LEE is a television writer and producer. Jenny has previously published humour essay collections and middle-grade novels, and Anna K is her debut YA novel.
Lee lives in Los Angeles with her husband and 135-pound Newfoundland, Gemma.
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