MORE ON MONDAY: Story of My Life by Jay McInerney

I didn't think I would like Jay McInerney. He was part of an '80s group of writers (along with the more famous Bret Easton Elis - author of American Psycho - and the less famous Tama Janowitz) known as the (literary) 'Brat Pack', who chronicled life in Manhattan in the decade of greed. I've also seen him in interviews and assumed from them that his books were anarchic but vapid, shallow cocaine-glorifying romps. Story of my Life proved me seriously wrong. Not that it isn't about drug use and shallow people - the novel features a lot of both - but it doesn't glorify either and offers some hope of escape by the end. It's also brilliantly sharply written and very, very funny.

Alison Poole is a twenty-year old aspiring actress living in New York City. Her rich father is supposed to be funding her education, but keeps flaking on her, so she has to survive on her wits (which she does brilliantly, if not always morally). She's quick-witted, clever, promiscuous and a regular drug-user who has seen and done too much, too young. Ye somehow McInerney also makes her sweet, charming and a wonderful narrator for this slice-of-life story...

Alison bursts onto the page and into your mind from the first sentence: "I'm like, I don't believe this s***." Then she holds your attention completely throughout this short but sweet (and occasionally sour) novel. I'm not someone who relishes reading about drugs and sex and cocaine (I edit a chick-lit website after all), so trust me when I say this book is brilliant. And it doesn't take things too far either - it might occasionally border on crude but is so funny and relate-able you don't care. Mostly it's about the emotional impact of such a lifestyle and it certainly doesn't glorify living the way Alison does.

It's bold, intelligent and as I said before, very very funny. It's definitely a different read to the books we usually cover, but I think most chick-lit fans will love it: it's about a strong, bright female heroine making her way in the world, despite the obstacles of her past. And who can't relate to that?

Rating: 5 out of 5

Like this? Try Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher.

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