The IHOP Papers

by Ali Liebegott

Francesca, a disgruntled 19-year-old lesbian, tries desperately to pull together the pieces of her scattered life. This hilarious, heartfelt novel opens with Francesca newly arrived in San Francisco. She has fled her hometown, where she rented her childhood room from the new family who moved in when her parents moved out.

The new tenants happened to be her childhood babysitter and her alcoholic husband. But Francesca's move to San Francisco is no mere coincidence. A lonely virgin searching for her sexual identity and obsessed with her philosophy teacher, Francesca has followed her professor, Irene, to California, where Irene has relocated to live with her young male lover and former student.

Once in San Francisco, Francesca is forced to work at the local pancake house. Much to her dismay, she has to wear a ridiculous Heidi of the Alps uniform — which is almost as humiliating as serving the array of speed freaks and other graveyard shift misfits. Suicidal and euphoric, Francesca seeks solace in anything and anyone who might distract her from her unrequited love for Irene.

More than a coming of age story, The IHOP Papers is a comic portrait of survival and self-discovery on the IHOP late shift.

Genres: Fiction, Queer, LGBT, Lesbian, Young Adult, Gay, Romance

325 pages, Paperback

First published January 2, 2006

About the author

Ali Liebegott is a lesbian American author whose work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. Her first book, The Beautifully Worthless, won the Lambda Literary Award for Debut Fiction. Liebegott is a recipient of a Poetry Fellowship from the New York Foundation for Arts. She taught creative writing at UC San Diego and currently lives in San Francisco.Her debut novel entitled The IHOP Papers was published in early 2007 and was awarded a Lambda Literary award for Women's Fiction, a Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBT Fiction, and was a finalist for a Stonewall Prize. She has toured the U.S. extensively with Sister Spit's Ramblin' Road Show and is represented by The Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book had such potential to be really hilarious and well written. and then sometime around chapter 6 it turned into a story about an obsessive stalker lesbian who cuts herself all the time to make people feel sorry for her.

i am so SICK of books about tragically tortured lesbians. just because you're gay doesn't make you radical and advant garde or anything.

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up "The IHOP Papers" on a whim in the library; I'm a sucker for odd titles and a pretty cover, and this book had both. Plus, once I read the back blurb, I knew I was hooked.

I know a lot of people are raining down criticism on the book, but for the life of me, I couldn't not like it. Usually, I *really* hate tales of dysfunctional people- I have no desire to read about unredeemable characters who abuse drugs and alcohol, cut themselves, and otherwise complain about their lives and think they are avant-garde. And it would appear that the main character here- Francesca- is just that . . . and yet she's not. For me, she is a redeemable character, and while other readers may not have been able to connect with her or find any likability, I immediately felt at least a sense of kindred spirit in her. Her wit and sarcasm and a strong sort of innocence that MAKES her likable. Had there been any jadedness or "I've been around the block" attitude, Francesca would have lost her appeal and her choices would have made me want to put down the book. As it is, though, with her wide-eyed naivete and grim determination, she's a strongly crafted character that kept me turning the pages, desperate to see if she would overcome her problems and see what she needed to do with her life.

The book has a strong coming-of-age feel to it, so if that's not your thing, you might want to avoid it. But I found it a fun and sweet read that I couldn't put down, with several laugh-out-loud moments, a lot of fingernail-biting for the main character, and a queer San Francisco aesthetic that I found refreshing. I mean, how can you not want to read a tale about a baby dyke who runs away to San Francisco to follow her shaved-headed Philosophy teacher who's on sabbatical in a bisexual threesome, only to end up working for the evil IHOP corporation? Along the way, she finds herself- and the book ends on a positive note.

It was simply a pleasant way to pass a weekend, in my opinion. Not a life-changing book, but a plain old good read.

[Wendell · Rating 2 out of 5]

The word that best defines this book –indeed, which looms over it like a vulture—is “arch.” What one senses, unfortunately, is that Liebegott was actually hoping for something along the lines of genuine emotion, dark humor, even angst. The trouble is, The IHOP Papers is one of those “post” books in which no sentiment or experience can be presented unless it appears between quotation marks. The heroine is “depressed”; she thinks about “killing herself”; when her lover treats her badly, she’s “desperate.”

It’s the trouble with the books that an entire generation of too-cool-for-their-own-good writers is churning out: nothing can be expressed without irony or self-referential commentary (implicit or literal): You’re reading a book by a writer who wants to remind you constantly that she knows she’s writing a book.

In the end, then, what The IHOP Papers is, is a huge drag. And it’s a shame, too. For anyone who has ever lived in San Francisco—and especially for anyone who has spent part of a callow youth in the grip of the city-wide mania that being marginal, depressed, suicidal, queer, broke, or a “freak” elevates one’s coolness—Liebegott captures that brain-addled San Francisco Zeitgeist to a “T.”

What she cannot manage to do is make Goaty, her heroine, stop sounding like she’s frantically rehearsing a standup comedy routine she intends to entitle “My Fucked-Up Life.” Liebegott wants to engage us, even move us, but she doesn’t know how to write about desperation, dead-end employment, self-mutilation, depression, or suicide without cracking an often-lame joke, without inserting those ironic quotation marks. She takes you right up to the brink of genuine experience and then she pokes you in the ribs.

Liebegott wants to describe the way “conscious,” “enlightened” (here, the quotation marks are obligatory) SF dykes of a certain stripe deploy the language of pop psych and semi-digested spirituality to wage emotional terrorism on those less linguistically clever; but she never quite nails the issue down. Irene, with whom Goaty is in love through much of the book, is a monster; why can’t Liebegott come right out and say it? Why can’t Goaty?

What’s ultimately most depressing about The IHOP Papers is the sense of Liebegott flailing about, unable to find compassion for her characters or invoke it in the reader. She hands her narrative over to a protagonist who, though she is swimming in a sea of humanity and though she mechanically mobilizes the language of concern and connection, is ultimately too busy with her own alienation and self-involvement to notice that anyone else is there. Liebegott shifts Goaty from one random encounter to another, attempts to find meaning in what is essentially Brownian movement, and fails. In the final chapters, Goaty’s actions become increasingly frenzied as Liebegott tries to conclude an essentially formless novel, and the reader loses touch with Goaty altogether.

It is also at some point in the last several pages that Goaty asks (rhetorically), “Do you think I’m a sociopath?” The answer, sadly, is yes. Writing a heroine who’s a sociopath—that is, a character for whom the external world is both irrelevant and largely invisible—would be a tall order for the most accomplished writer; and it’s no surprise that Liebegott can't manage to pull it off.

[Kaci Pelias · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is like the second book i’ve read abt a gay+depressed writer-type moving to san francisco in the 90s/early 2000s and i gotta say i’m a big fan of the genre!

[Bethany Ebert · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can I say? I love a good dysfunctional lesbian book. The IHOP Papers chronicles the life of Francesca, a nineteen-year-old lesbian virgin who moves to San Francisco because she's obsessed with her Philosophy teacher.

Irene, the Philosophy teacher in question, is a real piece of work. She wants to "live simply and responsibly" but she is completely bonkers, leading a controlling and emotionally uneven polyamorous relationship with three of her former students. She favors Gustavo, the only male out of the three. Gustavo is violent and abusive.

Francesca's over-emotional crushes dominate the majority of her life decisions. She has the hots for her AA sponsor and routinely fantasizes about a TV actress from Days of Our Lives. At times I felt like I was reading the thoughts of a fifteen-year-old boy. She is so obsessed with sex and women, and it's unfortunate. She has a lot of potential but is always thinking with the wrong part of her body.

I think everyone has that trainwreck friend who makes a lot of irresponsible decisions. Francesca is that trainwreck friend. I cared about her, but at times I wished she exercised more critical thinking skills. At the same time, if she did, we probably wouldn't have as interesting of a book to read. I was glad to see some character development by the end of the book. Finally, she grew a backbone. Finally, she stood up for herself. Thank god.

I liked this book, and I would recommend it to others. It wasn't my favorite book in the world, but it was a fun trip.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/28/22 Wonderful reread. Enjoyed it to death. Wincingly hilarious.

After seeing the author at a reading last month and laughing my head off at her wonderfully deadpan delivery of comic misery, I knew I had to explore her printed output. Her 2007 effort, The IHOP papers, is hugely enjoyable and very funny, and I rooted for Francesca, the depressed, confused, fucked up yet stouthearted young lesbian heroine to make it through to the end with her dignity and mental state somehow intact. Liebegott's a really talented, confident writer; sign my ass up for her other book, The Beautifully Worthless (2005), and sign me up quick.

[Faith Reidenbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh god I love this book. Took me a while to warm up to it, though. Along with being funny and endearing, the narrator is scattered and repetitive in the beginning. Then Francesca reminds us--she may have been in AA for 3 years, but she's only been clean for 60 days! Liebegott NAILS this young, newly sober, newly sexual character. She also does a great job with Irene (the bi professor who sleeps with her students), who's just as charismatic and just as insecure as the Irenes I've known. I liked that Liebegott doesn't treat AA as a joke and doesn't have Francesca find an explanation--or treatment--for her self-injuring behavior.

The jacket copy and commercial reviews don't do justice to the emotional depth of this book.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was exactly what I needed!! I loved how chaotic the mc was and how she just went along with her every whim, but also stayed firm on things that were important to her.

[paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

ending killed it, otherwise 5 star but the ending was too much of what I didn’t want to see and then suddenly too opaque

[Kayla Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was laughable. At times, I really found myself appreciating the dry dark humour scattered throughout via witty banter and pop culture reference, however, the reading made a turn for the worse towards the middle of the plot line. As 'Goaty's' self-destructive behavior became redundant, situations lost their shock-value and became almost un-enthusing to read. This might have been something I could enjoy to read when I was young, single, and in high school as perhaps a "coming of age tale", but there is little to appreciate beyond that. The characters are shallow, self-absorbed, predictable and follow an equation that is typical of most braincandy queer literature. Very little substance. I was rather disappointed I paid the four dollars on amazon to buy it used.

[Kumari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much that I've tracked it down now several years later for another read. there is so much in it - its everything everything everything everything! my stomach HURTS - really badly - from laughing so hard.

I absolutely did hate the ending, though, as it is totally misguided and a stupid way to end IMO. inappropriate behavior, actually, and it made me truly dislike the main character, which is a huge no-no in a character-driven story like this. don't learn any lessons from this one, kids, except don't act like this - it makes you look like a real self-hating asshole. and no one likes that.

[Amy D.P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unrequited love sucks. Love that turns into unrequited love sucks. Sometimes, love just sucks. Ali Leibegott captures so well with her wit and writing how painful longing for someone can be and how sometimes when you get what you want, that can be just as painful. Love can be absurd, and Ali does a great job of humorously displaying that in her book.

[tatterpunk · Rating 2 out of 5]

TWO STARS: I won't read this again.

At one point the teenaged protagonist says: Sometimes the only thing that stops me on my road to self-destruction is pounding on this typewriter -- pure stream of consciousness -- locked in my apartment typing. It's like talking to the most special person in the middle of the night by candlelight, sharing tea and cigarettes.

This book is written exactly as if by that teenager: indulgent, unaware, words vomited onto the page in an un-analyzed mess.

... it also reads as if someone older, wiser, and a lot more critical came along and edited it.

Which, you know, could have been a good thing, like the pairing of unchecked potential with just a soupcon of mature style. Instead, this book is... "nihilistic" is the only word that seems to fit. Endless suicidal ideation and self-harm. Twisted portraits of small people being their worst selves. Francesca herself acting so dumb, so gormless -- but every now and again a line that makes you feel like she wants you to laugh and roll your eyes at her, that she knows this version of herself is a needy, sucking hole of emotional manipulation with no boundaries to speak of. The most chilling passage is:

How come the world is separated into two groups: people that cut themselves with razors in order to manipulate other people to love them, and people that fall in love with people who cut themselves with razors because they have savior issues?

"What are the razors for, Francesca?" the police officers asked when they carted me off to the mental hospital.

Really, what weren't the razors for?, before listing every sling and arrow from the wider world that establishes itself as a cut on her body. This is after almost an entire book of describing how she uses her self-harm to intrigue women she wants, to make sure they don't abandon her or otherwise worm her way into their lives. Even later Francesca says: When I first met Gustavo I saw right away what a manipulator he was. Irene said you can't blame a person for being unwell, but I feel like he uses his sickness as an excuse to hit women. Then he becomes sorry and tries to apologize, walking around dressed in black and looking sad. Christ on a crutch. Give me a break.

Someone involved with this book knows Irene is an emotional vampire, that Gustavo and Francesca are the same except in who they turn their violence on, that Jenny is a tragedy. Not the narrator, but someone lurking behind her and inviting you to observe the bullshit and hypocrisy surrounding her as... entertainment? Commentary? It's too hopeless to be the former and too shallow to be the latter. It feels cruel: cruel to its subjects for refusing to grant them nuance or humanity, cruel to its readers in asking us to endure them anyway.

[Yve · Rating 3 out of 5]

So some aspects of the main character/narrator Francesca are 2edgy4u but she also felt really realistic. Partly because she's obsessed with coming across as tough but knows she doesn't. Sometimes it's a little too trendy-West-Coast-y but past that it's a good book. The content was depressing but the tone of the book was so conversational and warm that I didn't want to stop reading it. There are chapter divisions but even within the chapters there were so many cuts that it was just constant discontinuous stream-of-consciousness so I ended up reading until the middle of the night when my eyes stopped being able to focus. I know Francesca is a very flawed person but she's the kind of character that is easy to get attached to? Like I loved reading her fake book and I hope she figured life out a little bit more and committed to one dream and became the badass motorcycle-riding lesbian star-poet she wanted to be. Or at least didn't die young. Bonus points for "The IHOP Papers" for being a lesbian book where nobody dies!

[Mars G. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry, but no. Upon getting ready to write this review I looked inside my book and saw that this was published in 2006.

UM? REALLY?

I thought that this was an indie work from 1995, not a professional's work from the early 2000s. That's my way of saying it is dated.

The author probably intended for the narrator to be relatable. I guess she is in some ways -- not knowing what she wants and then wanting everything at once is something we all feel, especially with other people. However...

It reads, to me, that the narrator is an immature child who is unable to take responsibility for anything she does, and who gravitates around other immature and irresponsible people. And worst of all, I found her to be flat and one dimensional -- shock value is not a character trait. Sorry.

I wished a lot for this novel but instead of getting insight and representation, I just feel thankful that I'm in therapy.

[Seth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed, I cried, I highlighted the pages and wrote in the margins.

I don't want to start out a review by comparison because this book is unique and stands alone in its beauty, but just for a sense of scale... When my once manager at the bookstore I work at was courting her current wife, they read pages of Valencia by Michelle Tea to each other. When she told me this, I (identifying as a queer woman at this time, before my transition) used this method and passed the book back and forth between myself and my now partner. That was years ago and I've yet to find a book that encompasses that sense of queer love's genesis with all its nuances - pain and loss, chosen family, queer-coding, floundering under capitalism, idealizing San Francisco, and all the struggles and triumphs I've seen mirrored within myself and the ones I love here in this beautiful city.

[RandomScholar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though Francesca falls in love with her philosophy professor (Irene) after knowing that Irene was banging two of her other former students, this story parallels common forms of unrequited love that happen in real life too. If love is blind, then this story clearly illustrates just how blind love can be. Francesca is blind to Irene's faults because she loves her so much, and that is part of the tragedy of this dark comedy. Francesca also self mutilates to win Irene's attention; a sign of the ridiculous lengths some go through to win attention from a person they love. I would recommend this to anyone who has ever chased a woman who was completely wrong for them in every way.

[Amber Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I was reading this, I thought of something good I was going to write here when I was done. Something insightful. Something that would give a good glimpse into what this book is all about. But I got so caught up in Francesca's story and where the hell she would end up that I completely forgot what I was going to say. Just read this thing. It's got love and heartbreak and anger and ennui and a depressed young lesbian trying to eke out a living in San Francisco while pining for someone and something that ultimately isn't going to make her happy but that she must cling to because this world is a damned mess and sometimes we need something to make life worth living.

[Tiffany G · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's easy to be a critic but you know what isn't easy? Writing a book. That's not easy. Before you crank out another crappy review maybe consider that this writer spent time first living their experience, then writing it so that they can share it with you. If you don't like it, maybe save your efforts to support a work and an author you do like.

I thought this book was way inspirational and totally real. Who wants to read a book totally pulled out of thin air? Not me. When I read something totally made up I just can't stand to continue reading it. Why would I want to read about something totally made up? Duh, write about what you know!

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked Liebgott's Cha Ching. And this was almost as good. Demerit for being partially about San Francisco.

Loved the structure. Not obviously satiric, but definitely satire.

A mostly sympathetic narrative from a very specific kind of person, at a very specific time and place (ie, total chaos) in their young queer life.

The biggest "90's moment" was a young butch in SF being forced to wear an IHOP dress and nurse shoes.

[Delaney Burghardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll be frank, I sit squarely in the target demographic of this book, as an angsty 20something lesbian writer, but I loved it so much. Every word felt so sincere and heartfelt. It did stall a bit midway through to where I felt like I was rereading the same chapter a few times, but I thought the ending was really gracefully done. I laughed several times while reading, which is something I don’t often do. This book is going to be a cherished addition to my shelf.

[Irina Ember · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I admire the author. I liked her website as well but it disappeared. I was inspired by this book and especially enjoyed the description of her IHOP waitress outfit and how she was regarded by some of her male customers. Very funny. I appreciated how it was fictionalized memoir-- that's how it seemed to me.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The IHOP Papers is dark, sad, and hilarious at the same time. One of the best novels I've ever read. I've read it at least three times now. The protagonist is so open and vulnerable--I was rooting for her all the way through. A brilliant gem of a novel.

[Paul Nemeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought the first few chapters were really funny, but then got incredibly uncomfortable at how this book romanticizes abuse. Francesca self harms and uses threats of suicide to guilt trip people into staying with her/keep people from leaving her. This book is full of gross, unhealthy relationships. Yes, this book is supposed to be about a dysfunctional person, but I never found myself rooting for her.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the grittiness of Bukowski and a protagonist who's the lesbian version of Holden Caulfield, this is a fun coming of age novel.

[Melissa Ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

SPOILERS! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

I admit, I was a little skeptical about "The IHOP Papers" at first...but the writing grabbed me almost immediately - and all of a sudden, there I was in Francesca's world, and I didn't want to leave. I read this book in a matter of hours - literally. While there were parts that didn't work for me, like the scenes at the piercing shop, and the self-harm...overall, I must say that I really liked this book! Hence the four stars. Everything just came together quite nicely, from the great setting (San Francisco! One of my favorite "big cities") to the supporting characters - even Francesca herself was a nice and well-developed character. Naive, but bold, quirky, but heartfelt all the same. I really liked her relationship with Jenny!

The things keeping this book from all 5 stars are as follows:
1. While I did like Francesca's relationship with Jenny (see above) I found myself constantly annoyed by the nickname 'Goaty' that almost everyone in this book refers to her with. The reason behind the nickname was explained once; and while I do see how it's relevant to Francie's character, it became more of a pain, than anything.

2. Irene. IRENE, IRENE, IRENE. Look, I get that if Francesca was never set on Irene in such a serious way, there would probably be no reason for this book to exist. That said, I found her a complete jerkface for most of the story. I did love hearing Francesca's descriptions of her, and I also liked hearing why she loved Irene so much, but the scenes with both of them together were just flat and uninteresting. (And I do think Francie would be better off with Jenny. So there.) Which brings us to...

3. Gustavo. Gustavo, whose character is never really all that fleshed-out, is really the one who is the most responsible for all the emotional turmoil in this story. I hated Gustavo. I hated him at first, for "taking" Irene away from Francesca, but then again for actually ending up with Jenny. Finally, I hated him because I never knew that much about him in the first place. He seemed to always be complaining about having a paper due, or whatnot - and I felt like, although he really was a homewrecker in his own right - he was kind of shoved in as an afterthought. So he struck me as an odd character, to say the least.

4. All the self-harm that takes place. Francesca is an unstable young woman, but her narration is spot-on. The only part of the story that made me uncomfortable, though, was all the self-harm..she is described on the back of the book to be "suicidal" but I found her suicidal tendencies, for the most part, to be kind of like a darkly cynical sense of humor, almost. (Think the black comedy stylings of the movie "Heathers".) She talks a lot about dying, and describes, in detail, many of her death-tainted thoughts, which unnerved me a bit, but nothing hit me harder than all that cutting. It's probably because I would NEVER, EVER do anything like that myself (I have a horribly-low pain tolerance...even if people say self-harm doesn't really HURT all that badly) but I just felt terrible for her. This would have gotten 5 stars if it hadn't been for all the self-injuring scenes. BUT, I must say, that I commend Ali Liebegott, the author, for tackling these issues in such a...dare I say, "casual" way. Usually when these sorts of things are depicted in media, it's to garner a reaction from someone; but Francesca's scars weren't for attention, exactly - although she certainly wanted them to be.

Four very solid stars! :)

[Nicole Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a funny book about a young woman's quest for love and life while working at IHOP.

http://nicolewbrown.blogspot.com/2016...

I think there is an indisputable link between freaks and a bottomless coffee cup.
-Ali Liebegott (The IHOP Papers p 7)
I love Irene. I’ve never been so in love in my life. The kind of love where you believe if you can have the other person, everything will be perfect. Life will be fine. Every drop of pain scrubbed free from life’s ink.
-Ali Liebegott (The IHOP Papers p 26)
Everyone wants to be found, Goaty. The problem is sometimes we get so good at hiding we don’t even know we’re doing it anymore.
-Ali Liebegott (The IHOP Papers p 150)
“Your father and I wouldn’t charge you a thing to talk about your problems.” I felt guilty for making my mom feel excluded, but I certainly couldn’t hire her as my therapist. I wasn’t that unhealthy yet.
-Alit Liebegott (The IHOP Papers p 176)
The weirdest thing anyone has ever said to me while I was waitressing was from this man who used to come in and eat buckwheat pancakes and read Tai Chi books. He said, “Never cook rice while listening to rock music, because the negative energy from the rice will lodge in your lower chakras and cause mental anguish and sexual frustration.” I said, “Oh, I was sexually frustrated and mentally anguished long before I ever listened to rock music while cooking rice.” Who were these freaks—and if they were concerned with right livelihood and health, what were they doing eating at IHOP?
-Ali Liebegott (The IHOP papers p 201)

[BooksInc Inc · Rating 3 out of 5]

The IHOP Papers by Ali Liebegott was the Books Inc./SF LGBT Center Book Group selection for July, 2007.

Francesca, a disgruntled nineteen-year-old lesbian, tries desperately to pull together the pieces of her scattered life. This hilarious, heartfelt novel opens with Francesca newly arrived in San Francisco. She has fled her hometown, where she rented her childhood room from the new family who moved in when her parents moved out. The new tenants happened to be her childhood babysitter and her alcoholic husband. But Francesca's move to San Francisco is no mere coincidence. A lonely virgin searching for her sexual identity and obsessed with her philosophy teacher, Francesca has followed her professor, Irene, to California, where Irene has relocated to live with her young male lover and former student. Once in San Francisco, Francesca is forced to work at the local pancake house. Much to her dismay, she has to wear a ridiculous Heidi of the Alps uniform, which is almost as humiliating as serving the array of speed freaks and other graveyard shift misfits. Suicidal and euphoric, Francesca seeks solace in anything and anyone who might distract her from her unrequited love for Irene. More than a coming of age story, The IHOP Papers is a comic portrait of survival and self-discovery on the IHOP late shift.

[Nairne Holtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this hilarious tale, Francie is a twenty-year-old poet who follows her heart to San Francisco. She’s a recovering alcoholic with mental health issues, and she thinks she might be gay. She’s never slept with a woman, but she’s in love with her philosophy teacher from community college, Irene. Never mind that Irene is a decade older than her and has a male and female lover with whom she lives communally in the ironically named Simplicity House. In San Francisco, Francie obtains a hot AA sponsor, a waitressing job at the International House of Pancakes, and a studio apartment in the Tenderloin. Before long, she’s having her first sexual relationship with a woman, which attracts the interest of Irene, whom Francie slowly realizes has a few issues. The humour in this fluently written book derives from both the heroine’s naïveté about the situations she finds herself in as well as the bizarre characters she encounters as a waitress. Francie is simultaneously vulnerable and competent, sweet-natured and manipulative, and always compelling. This sad-sweet-funny book is one of my all-time favourites.

[Sam Million-Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

The IHOP Papers is both incredibly humorous and astoundingly moving. It is told in a first person narrative style by Francesca, a self-abusive young lesbian in recovery who moves to San Francisco to live in a co-op with her community college psychology teacher (who she happens to be in love with). If this sounds like a weird downer of a book--believe me it isn't. Francesca is a deeply likable, funny, and infectious character; it is impossible not to root for her as she describes her relationships, her drug addled coworkers at the IHOP in the marina, and her struggles as a young woman on her own for the first time. The narrator is easy to relate to--her challenges living in a new city, with housemates are universal...and her asides (about topics ranging from her impossible love for Hope from "Days of Our Lives" to the "american way" of doing dishes--namely, turning the water on high, getting overwhelmed and distracted and then watching the final round of Jeopardy) are always poignantly hilarious.