Wednesday, December 17, 2014

How to Build a Girl

Johanna Morrigan is 14, she lives in a small town outside London
in what is considered the needy part of of town. She fights endlessly with her 16 year old brother who is also struggling to find his identity, a little brother who clings to her in desperate need, her brand new baby twin siblings and her parents. Her mother is an angry - I cannot believe I have 5 children, no money and live in this shit hole (pardon my language) and her drunken father lives in a dreamland of drugs and alcohol but still believes he can make it BIG in the music business. Somehow, crazily enough, they are a lovable crew who continue on under the worst of circumstances. Nothing good happens to this bunch. Johanna is hysterical, and I mean FUNNY. Really funny. I see this part played by Rebel Wilson funny. She is desperate for love, and mostly sex. Busily experimenting with herself and being the lonely miserable teenager that she is, Johanna writes a lot. She loves music and is painstakingly honest with her words. After a world's most embarrassing moment on a televised poetry reading contest, Johanna transforms herself. Johanna decides she will be a new persona called Dolly, dresses in goth black and starts reviewing bands playing locally. One insane crazy thing after another spirals Dolly into another life filled with a little cash in her pocket (finally!) and even a bit of fame. But most importantly Dolly/Johanna learns what she is really made of. This is a funny crazy book that I could not put down. Pre-requisites for liking this read is an open mind, a bit of free time, a need to laugh and you must enjoy Caitlin Moran satire and humor. Check her column out at http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/profile/Caitlin-Moran

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