Book Reviews, Part 2

Role Models by John Waters

My god, this man has had a fascinating life. I know that that should go without saying but this book really shows it, purely by describing the lives of people Waters (Waters? No. You know what, from now on I'm going to call him John), has known. I love the way John writes; you actually feel like you're sitting down with a friend catching up over coffee. Which, I suppose, is exactly what John did with each of his role models in preparation for this book, but he makes you feel like you're sitting down with them too.

Role Models is John's latest publication, and, as the title would have you (hopefully), assume, it is about his role models. The people who helped John, or at least influenced him, to get to where he is today. And my, they are an amazing bunch. From Leslie van Houten to an estate-pocketing barmaid in Baltimore, to Johnny Mathis and my beloved Tennessee Williams, Mr. Waters has known the best of the best. And if you're anything like me, these are the people you WANT to know. They're fucking crazy geniuses. Fuck being normal when you can be a crazy genius. Fuck "fitting in" when you could hang out with the freaks.

I literally could not put this book down. The only time I ever did was to feed my cat. I read the entire book on the last day I had off work (last Tuesday). I was sad when I finished it because I wanted to read more about these fascinating freaks, and of course, about John himself.

My favourite chapters (it's so hard to choose!), were the ones about Leslie van Houten (former Manson Family member and Milhouse van Houten's namesake), Zorro the lesbian stripper, Tennessee Williams, and Rick James. The only chapter I wasn't that keen on was the one about John's favourite fashion designer. But I guess that's because I don't really give two shits about clothes.

Next on my reading list is Crackpot: The Obsessions of John Waters, which I picked up from work at a tidy price. I can't wait to have some free time to read it.

So, in short (mainly because it's 2am and I really should try to sleep), John Waters is amaaaaazing and I love that he's done the people who inspired him justice by writing this fantastic book. He rules. 5/5.

Last few books I read, part one

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

It wasn't Middlesex, but why would I want anyone, even Eugenides, to top one of my top three favourite books?

What I got out of The Marriage Plot was completely different to what I got out of Middlesex. And I mean that in the best possible way. Eugenides just writes characters that feel so real - sometimes they're actually quite unlikable, but that's what makes them actually well-rounded. For example, I hate it when I read an autobiography and even though it's a "true story", the author puts on this obviously fake voice to make themselves seem so likable. Which in turn actually makes them sound like some fake frothy caricature of themselves.

Anyway, my point is that sometimes characters in novels, especially Eugenides's novels, seem more real than "real" people. His characters develop but they stay true to themselves. I related to all three main characters for different reasons. I felt that perhaps the portrayal of Leonard as a manic depressive was perhaps a little unsympathetic, and this is coming from someone who grew up around two of them (aka my parents). I think Eugenides might have missed the point of his own character, perhaps - to me, Leonard was someone who found everyday life extraordinarily hard to deal with, but he tried his hardest to hold it together. But what I actually found to be the overarching point Eugenides was trying to make is that Leonard is selfish, hard to deal with and not good enough for Madeleine. The thing about manic depression, however, is that you have to want to hold it together for yourself before you can be good enough for anyone else. And it's not selfish. It's not selfish at all. How can having zero percent self-worth be selfish?

I don't know. I guess I worry that ignorant people will read Leonard's character and think, "Wow, there's no hope for people with bipolar disorder. I sure as fuck won't ever date one of them."

But that's life, I guess.

Eugenides writes life. I don't know how he does it. But I read a book of his and I feel like he's written my life down and put everything into context for me. The only other author I've felt that with has been Margaret Atwood, and really truly only in Cat's Eye.

So anyway - I'm trying not to give away anything about the plot here, just let you know that it really is an incredibly well-written book and that's why you should read it. Good writing makes the plot irrelevant. The way you think a story is going to go is not why you read.

4/5. Loses a point because the cover doesn't do the book justice.