One-Hit Wonder
Lisa Jewell
Plume
<p>Shy and gawky, Ana has always daydreamed about living the life of her exotic half-sister, Bee, a pop singer who had a #1 hit single before she inexplicably vanished from the celebrity scene. When Bee turns up dead, Ana is dispatched to the big city to clear out her apartment. Instantly seduced by the secondhand glamour of Bee's baubles, bangles and bottles of Perrier-Jouet, Ana takes up with Bee's wild club-hopping cronies. News of a missing cat and a remote country cottage soon convince Ana that her sister was leading a secret life. Now Ana is on a mission to discover what really happened to Bee Bearhorn, the one-hit wonder-and what is about to happen to the unremarkable Ana Wills.</p>From Publishers Weekly<p>Tall and gangly Ana Wills has never felt comfortable in her own skin and has spent years dreaming of her beautiful older half-sister Bee's glamorous life. Bee, who had a falling out with their overbearing and neurotic mother, Gay, left over a decade ago and never looked back. She eventually made it big on the music scene as an '80s rock star, with a knockout number 1 song. When Bee dies in mysterious fashion perhaps by her own hand at the age of 36, Ana is forced to leave the quiet and predictable town of Devon and travel to London to collect Bea's effects. In Bee's huge but surprisingly run-down flat, Ana is consumed by the clues she discovers about Bee's longtime depression and angry with herself for not making more of an effort to stay in touch. Bee's best friends black singer and exotic dresser Lolita Tate and Flint Lennard, Bee's erstwhile chauffeur are anxious to help Ana discover the details of her sister's existence. Lol and Ana click immediately, and Ana can't help being attracted to the enigmatic and hulking hunk, Flint. The three soon learn that Bee was leading a double life, one that included a disabled adolescent boy and a secret place for their rendezvous. Devastated, Ana finally stands up to Gay, who believes that Bee led a charmed life. "She had looks, Mum. She had money. She had absolutely nothing else. Take it from me. I've seen her life." Hints throughout suggest that Ana, too, has musical talent; it is that talent, despite the pain of loosing Bee, that will be her instrument of self-discovery. Jewell, author of Ralph's Party and thirtynothing, sounds a series of secrets and gradual revelations that keep the narrative at high pitch and bring it to a satisfying conclusion.<br />Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. </p>From Library Journal<p>Shy and unassuming, Ana Wills always looked up to the half sister she never really knew. Bee Bearhorn's one 1980s gold record indelibly etched her pop star image into Ana's mind, if not the rest of London's. But when Bee dies unexpectedly, Ana is left wondering who the sister was she thought she had all figured out. With the help of Bee's friends, Ana unearths her sibling's secrets and discovers the true staying power of a one-hit wonder. Jewell's third novel (after Ralph's Party and Thirtynothing) is an engaging coming-of-age tale skillfully told by interweaving the past and present. By turns funny and poignant, the book pulls no punches in dismantling the walls people build around themselves. Jewell's prose is focused and fluid; readers can expect unpredictable twists and turns as Ana gets closer to uncovering her sister's real life as well as some unrealized truths about herself. A substantial and welcome addition to women's contemporary fiction collections, it is recommended for public libraries. Amy Brozio-Andrews, Albany P.L., NY <br />Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. </p>