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"One-Hit Wonder"
 The
star of Lisa Jewell's latest novel, One-Hit Wonder is a young, painfully
self-obsessed, single British woman. When I agreed to review it, I promised
the editor here that I would, under no circumstances, compare it to another
novel starring a young, painfully self-obsessed, single British woman. You
know, the one recently made into a feature film in which Renee Zellweger
ballooned up to a hefty 120 pounds to play the title character. The one
that has seemingly launched a whole new sub-genre of light fiction that
I like to call Brit Chick Lit. So I am being a good Girl Scout and am keeping
my promise to review it on its own merits. It's not as slick or funny as
the unmentioned novel in question, but it is an engaging, fast-paced read
that does prompt a little bit of thought.
One-Hit
Wonder tells the story of Devon singleton, Ana Wills, a gawky young
twenty-something nicknamed Towering Twiglet by her glamorous estranged
half-sister Bee (Belinda) Bearhorn. Bee, the one-hit wonder of the title,
was a 1980's era pop star, the British version of Madonna. In Ana's mind,
Bee lived surrounded by adoring on-lookers, hopping from trendy club to
trendy club swaddled in sequins and red lipstick. Ana, on the other hand
is stuck in middle class, Devon, having lost her job, her boyfriend, and
her father within just a few months. These events have left her living
with her horribly manipulative mother, Gay, who lives in "an almost
psychotic state of self-indulgence." When they hear of thirty-six
year old Bee's death several days after its occurrence, the agoraphobic
Gay dispatches Ana to London to pack up Bee's apartment and deal with
the lawyers. Ana soon discovers that Bee lived a far different life than
she had imagined and sets off on a journey to discover just who her sister
was and in the process discovers herself as well.
It's a serviceable
plot, told mostly through Ana's eyes, although we do get glimpses of Bee
through flashbacks told in her own voice. Jewell does a good job of moving
back and forth through time, showing just enough of Bee to further the
plot line. Bee is definitely the most complex and interesting character.
The supporting cast amounts to little more than a collection of eccentricities,
no fully developed people anywhere. This collection includes a horrid
mother, a nymphomaniac flatmate and a mysterious paraplegic teenager somehow
bound to Bee. The mother, Gay, rages to Ana, "It should have been
you . . .You should be dead. Not her. Not my Belinda. She had everything
to live for---looks, money, personality, talent. And you have nothing
. . .You've got no friends and no boyfriend, no job, nothing. You are
pointless . . .You're alive and Belinda's dead." This from a woman
who hadn't seen her daughter in years. None of these characters actually
carry much weight within the story, it's as if Jewell wanted to people
her novel with quirky characters whether or not they serve any actual
purpose.
One facet
of One-Hit Wonder is Ana's sweet, but heavy-handed transformation
from skinny ugly duckling to trendy swan. Ana can't believe she, a tall
thin brunette with long hair and striking eyes, could ever be considered
even passably attractive. Come on, what rock is she living under? Jewell
paints on this "aw shucks" persona as thickly as an aging actress
might apply her foundation. In describing herself Ana thinks, "she
was just waste-of-space old Ana Wills, unattractive and disappointing
second daughter . . .naïve country bumpkin and pretty much born-again
virgin." I can hear my mother singing in response, "Nobody likes
me, everybody hates me. Think I'll go eat worms." In unraveling the
mystery of Bee's life, Ana comes to know, in more ways than one, Bee's
onetime chauffeur, Flint. He helps Ana come into her own as a person,
helping her to see her true beauty. This creaky plot device also is a
thorn in my side. Why can't this seemingly intelligent young woman find
herself without falling into bed with a gorgeous, sensitive man? A better
story might have ended with a more confident Ana ready to pursue a mature
relationship. As it is, the novel ends too neatly; it is little more than
a fairy tale.
It is fun,
however to hear the British dialect. Jewell, a London native, definitely
creates believable dialogue, at least to this Yank. I have since vowed
to include terms like "grotty," in my everyday vocabulary. I
think it is the British equivalent of grubby, but doesn't it sound so
much more posh? The novel also provides some interesting meditations on
the effects of instant celebrity. In a world where popular culture seems
to change by the nanosecond, Jewell does provide some good food for thought
in a conversation between Gay and Ana on Bee's death.
"Mum,"
sighed Ana, "I hate to break this to you, but I don't think anyone
cares."
"Of
course they care. They're obsessed, these days, the papers, obsessed
with celebrity---any celebrity."
"Yes,
but, Mom---Bee wasn't a celebrity."
"Of
course she was."
"No,
Mum---she was an ex-celebrity. Nobody cares about ex-celebrities."
"What---not
even when they're dead?"
"Not
even when they're dead."
"Oh."
Since this
is essentially a fairy tale, expect a happy ending. I'm sure Lisa Jewell
is happy too, especially if they can get Renee Zellweger to play Ana in
the movie. (Reviewed
by Shannon Bloomstran
08-01-02)
- Amazon
readers rating:
 from
22 reviews
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Bibliography (with links to Amazon.com):
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Book Marks:
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Lisa
Jewell, born in 1968, was brought up in the Totteridge part of North
London. She studied art and design at Barnet College for two years and
went on to Epsom School of Art and Design to study Fashion Illustration
and Promotion and two years later left education to battle her way through
the world of fashion for five years. After she was laid off, she took
on a job as receptionist and embarked upon Creative Writing at her local
Adult Education College. On a dare from a friend she wrote the first three
chapters of Ralph's Party in a month and then sent it off to ten
agents. When one agent showed interest and wanted to see the rest, she
accepted an invitation to move in with her boyfriend, leaving her time
to finish the novel. One year later she presented the rest of the novel
to this agent.
