Lola Bensky is nineteen, fat and interviewing Jimi Hendrix. That's the opening scene of this oddly epic novel, which encompasses the impact of the Holocaust on the children of survivors, the way weight plagues women, music journalism, love, and fame.
I have such mixed feelings on this novel. On the one hand, it ticks almost all of my boxes - music! Women coming of age! History informing narrative! On the other hand, Lily Brett's writing style takes a while to adjust to. Stylistically, there's a lot of telling, and I'm not sure how much I like that, particularly in the context of this story. It also seems to change dramatically halfway through, flashing twenty years forward and rapidly caterpulting itself through years of Lola's life. Dramatically offbeat years too, that with deeper exploration could have been more compelling.
That said, Brett's dialogue is wonderful, and the banter between Lola and the musicians - Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Mick Jagger in particular, makes for some pretty awesome scenes. The glimpses of the Holocaust are also well told - shocking, sickening and bold in a way that makes for compelling reading, and informs Lola's character beautifully as the novel unfolds. I'm just not sure it's enough to make me like it all that much.
2.5 out of 5 false eyelash sets.
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