Vinegar Girl

Back in high school, I read “Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant” and loved it. I don’t know why it took me so long to read something else by Anne Tyler. “Vinegar Girl” is her re-telling of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” set in Baltimore like her other books. A comedy, this book had me laughing, sometimes out loud, on every page, with a few discomfiting moments mixed in.

Kate Battista left college and works at a pre-school, where she speaks of things as she sees them, no sugarcoating. On multiple occasions she gets called to the principal’s office, but it’s never exactly clear why. The kids at the pre-school do funny things that kids do, like squabble over toys, and the way Kate deals with them is probably not recommended, but just as funny and admirable for its blunt honesty. All of her co-workers are women, except Adam, who is adored by everyone, including her friend/competing co-worker. But in general Kate lives a quiet life with very few personal relationships. She lives with her father, Dr. Louis Battista, and her younger, flighty sister Bunny (Beatrice, I think, but Bunny is much more fitting). Her father is a socially clueless absent-minded professor, and his assistant, Pyotr, or Pyoder as most people call him, is equally brilliant. He first comes across as kind of a big galoot, yet charming in a comic way. I don’t think it is ever said where his foreign land is.
 

Pyoter’s English as a second language is a big part of his interactions with his American hosts. He has a proverb for every occasion (unless he might be making them up to justify a situation?). Kate also replays conversations in her mind where she dissects the wording and sentence structure used. Bunny, meanwhile, has an annoying habit of turning sentences into questions, and would be surrounded by boys and/or flunking all of her classes if her elders didn’t keep her in line. The stoner neighbor Edward, five years older than Bunny’s fifteen, comes over as a “Spanish tutor.” Dr. Battista, like his assistant, describes their food in scientific terms, and has a regimented meal system, mostly a “meat mash” prepared once then eaten for the rest of the week. When Bunny tries (she says) to go vegetarian, that throws their whole schedule off.

But things are changing anyway, as Dr. Battista tries to set up Kate and Pytor, whose extraordinary-ability visa is near the end of its three years. They have to come up with proof, in case Immigration comes after them with suspicion. That means there are some hilarious scenes as the professor tries to take pictures with his cell phone. Breaking the news to Kate’s workplace is a challenge, and meeting the family is even worse, as Kate warns Pyotr of Aunt Thelma. I can’t say much more, but if you know the original play, you can guess where the story might go. I didn’t, but I at times tried to imagine how the Bard would have told this story in his time. The only (slight) disappointment I had is that you only get to know these quirky characters for a brief while, as the book is condensed to a fast pace. However, it is a sweet and feel-good book that will make you laugh.

Note: I received a free copy of this title through BloggingForBooks in exchange for an honest review.

P.S. I always thought “The Taming of the Shrew” was about training a small mammal to do tricks. Nope.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrew)