Jagged Little Pill: The Novel

by Eric Smith, Alanis Morissette, Diablo Cody, Glen Ballard

Overview

A timely and gutsy YA novel based on the Tony and Grammy Award winning musical from Alanis Morissette, Diablo Cody, and Glen Ballard!

Swallow it down—what a jagged little pill . . .

Jagged Little Pill: The Novel follows the intertwining lives of five teens whose world is changed forever after the events at a party.

Adopted Frankie struggles to see eye-to-eye with her mother—who would rather ignore a problem and preserve their “perfect” life than stand up for what’s right. Jo just wants her mom to accept her queer identity—and is totally crushed when Frankie, the only person who really gets her, finds herself infatuated with someone new. Phoenix tries to find his place at the new school and balance wanting to spend time with Frankie but knowing he also has to help out with his sick sister at home. Bella wants to enjoy the end of high school and just head off to college without a hitch. Everyone expects Frankie's brother Nick to be the golden boy, but even though he just got into his dream school, he’s not even sure he's a good person. Each of their stories intersects when Bella is sexually assaulted at a party, and it looks like the perpetrator might get away with it.

Moving, heartfelt, and raw, Jagged Little Pill: The Novel draws on the musical’s story and gives readers deeper glimpses of the characters. It’s a story about the power of voicing your pain, standing up for what’s right, and finding healing and connection.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419757983
Publisher:	Abrams
Publication date:	04/26/2022
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	157,008
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.40(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Since 1995, Alanis Morissette has been one of the most influential singer-songwriter-musicians in contemporary music. Her deeply expressive music and performances have earned vast critical praise and seven Grammy awards. Morissette’s 1995 debut, Jagged Little Pill, was followed by nine more eclectic and acclaimed albums. She has contributed musically to theatrical releases and acted on the big and small screen. Outside of entertainment, she is an avid supporter of female empowerment, as well as spiritual, psychological and physical wellness. In 2016, Alanis launched Conversation with Alanis Morissette, a monthly podcast that features conversations with a variety of revered authors, doctors, educators, and therapists, covering a wide range of psychosocial topics extending from spirituality to developmentalism to art. On December 5, 2019, Jagged Little Pill the musical made its Broadway debut at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York City. The show was nominated for fifteen Tony Awards and won two Tony Awards at the 2021 ceremony. In July 2020, Alanis released her ninth studio album, Such Pretty Forks in the Road, to rave reviews. In August 2021, Alanis kicked off her world tour, celebrating twenty-five years of Jagged Little Pill. Alanis is also a judge on Fox’s new competition show Alter Ego. Alanis will also serve as an executive producer on ABC’s upcoming sitcom Relatable, inspired by her life. Diablo Cody is the Oscar Award–winning writer and producer best known for Juno, Young Adult, and Jennifer’s Body. Glen Ballard is a six-time Grammy Award–winning producer and songwriter. Over the course of his career, he’s worked with some of the biggest names in music, including Alanis Morissette, Michael Jackson, Wilson Phillips, Dave Matthews Band, Quincy Jones, Aerosmith, Annie Lennox, Shakira, and many others. Eric Smith is a YA author and literary agent with P.S. Literary. His books include You Can Go Your Own Way, Battle of the Bands (edited with Lauren Gibaldi), Don’t Read the Comments (a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection), The Girl and the Grove, and The Geek’s Guide to Dating. Originally from Elizabeth, New Jersey, he now lives in Philadelphia with his family.

Editorial Reviews

04/25/2022

Five teens navigate the aftermath of sexual violence in this raw novelization of the musical Jagged Little Pill. The adoptive daughter of a white family in suburban Connecticut, Black 16-year-old Frankie feels that “I don’t belong here, in this family.” Her white older brother, Harvard-bound Nick, is desperate to please their parents. Transfer student Phoenix, who is Latinx, is struggling to balance his growing feelings for Frankie with caring for his hospitalized older sister. Frankie’s best friend with benefits, queer white Jo, craves her homophobic mother’s acceptance while also nursing feelings for Frankie. And white Bella simply wants to enjoy the end of high school before escaping to college. The teens’ lives untether following an act of sexual violence, and they must come together to pick up the pieces. Though the intertwining story lines cause the jam-packed narrative to feel unbalanced, the five narrators’ voices are distinct, providing a multilayered perspective. The teens explore gender and sexual identity, substance dependency, and complicated relationships in this edgy interpretation of the sometimes traumatizing experience of growing up. Morissette’s lyrics, woven throughout, resonate powerfully with the group’s turbulent adolescence. Ages 14–up. Agent (for Smith): Jen Azantian, Azantian Literary. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"Jagged Little Pill blends the spirit of some of our most beloved musical works into a new anthem: Teens long to be seen, heard, and for their voices to matter. An honest exploration of family and love, of identity and responsibility. Powerful and relevant.”—Laura Taylor Namey, New York Times bestselling author of A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow

"With Jagged Little Pill, Eric Smith brings the all the audacity, strength and spirit of the original with his own signature blend of compassion and tenderness. This novel turns snapshots to scrapbooks, and makes memories so vivid, they’ll feel like your own. A spectacular read."
—Saundra Mitchell, author of The Prom and All the Things We Do in the Dark

"Warm and clever and deeply sincere, Eric Smith's adaptation of Jagged Little Pill is a must-read for fans of the source material but also deeply affecting in its own right. As fresh and familiar as a surprising new cover of a song you know by heart."
—New York Times bestselling author Katie Cotugno

“Like the music that spawned it, Jagged Little Pill is a righteous roar, a vivid and moving chronicle of youthful love, courage, and heartbreak.”—Jeff Zentner, Morris Award winning author of The Serpent King

From the Publisher

"Jagged Little Pill blends the spirit of some of our most beloved musical works into a new anthem: Teens long to be seen, heard, and for their voices to matter. An honest exploration of family and love, of identity and responsibility. Powerful and relevant.

Laura Taylor Namey

"With Jagged Little Pill, Eric Smith brings the all the audacity, strength and spirit of the original with his own signature blend of compassion and tenderness. This novel turns snapshots to scrapbooks, and makes memories so vivid, they’ll feel like your own. A spectacular read."

Saundra Mitchell

2022-01-26
A novelization of the award-winning musical inspired by Morissette’s acclaimed 1995 album.

In alternating first-person chapters voiced by teenage Frankie and her brother, Nick, as well as several of their classmates, characters grapple with a host of social issues including addiction, transracial adoption (Frankie is a Black girl in a White family), sexual violence, and gender expression, all set against the backdrop of stifling suburban life. Morissette’s song lyrics are broken up and woven into the story, showing up as poetry penned by Frankie and as exposition and dialogue. Unfortunately, the story is otherwise weighed down by clunky delivery of backstory and reliance on heavy-handed internal monologues. Many passages read as contrived and are not reflective of authentic teen voices. There’s also a lot of intense emotion—fitting, given the intensity of the Jagged Little Pill album. But here it feels forced and out of place, for example, when it is expressed between characters who have just met and whom readers barely know as well. In one instance, Frankie suggests that her poems scare her racist White classmates, but the poem in question is composed of the lyrics to Morissette’s “Ironic,” which have nothing to do with race. Here and elsewhere in the novel, more strategically placed backstory might have provided context for the characters’ reactions. Moments of smart humor unfortunately aren’t enough to offset these narrative problems.

This wannabe-edgy drama falters into melodrama. (Fiction. 14-adult)

Kirkus Reviews

"With Jagged Little Pill, Eric Smith brings the all the audacity, strength and spirit of the original with his own signature blend of compassion and tenderness. This novel turns snapshots to scrapbooks, and makes memories so vivid, they’ll feel like your own. A spectacular read."

author of The Prom and All the Things We Do in the Saundra Mitchell

"Jagged Little Pill blends the spirit of some of our most beloved musical works into a new anthem: Teens long to be seen, heard, and for their voices to matter. An honest exploration of family and love, of identity and responsibility. Powerful and relevant.

New York Times bestselling author of A Cuban Girl& Laura Taylor Namey

Like the music that spawned it, Jagged Little Pill is a righteous roar, a vivid and moving chronicle of youthful love, courage, and heartbreak.

Morris Award winning author of The Serpent King Jeff Zentner

"Warm and clever and deeply sincere, Eric Smith's adaptation of Jagged Little Pill is a must-read for fans of the source material but also deeply affecting in its own right. As fresh and familiar as a surprising new cover of a song you know by heart."

New York Times bestselling author Katie Cotugno