Have you ever wondered what a person thinks as their life spirals out of control? Then read this book. If not, it’s very middle of the road. I had to finish the book though. I’m bemused too much by train wreck personalities.
Alison Poole is a spoiled rich kid living on dad’s money, hanging out with other rich girls and boys, doing drugs and sleeping with various men. Also these people engage in low grade warfare the entire time, fighting with each other, messing around psychologically, and creating all sorts of unnecessary drama. That’s about the story.
As a portrait of rich kid New York City life in the late 1980s, perhaps it’s accurate. Even if it is, I don’t think it says anything. Does McInerney have a keen eye for incongruities of urban life
as the New York Times Book Review stated? Is Poole caught in the traumatic reality of her times
as the San Francisco Chronicle wrote? Bah.
One thing I did notice is that the character Poole portrays all her sexual conquests as her choice, but often portrays the drugs as inevitable with statements implying the social faux pas of not doing someone’s drugs was too much for her to bear.
As Judge Judy might say, I think it’s mostly a portrait of someone without much character. If she wanted to sleep around, do drugs, and skip class, I have very little problem with it. I wouldn’t be hanging around personally with a person like that beyond the occasional voyeuristic accompaniment (which is essentially me reading the book). But I would he a hell of a lot more respect for the person if they acknowledged the choice made rather than complain about all the things that have gone wrong.
One thing I did think was pretty weird though is how philosophically logical Alison Poole is. None of the drug addicts I’ve known made that much sense. Alcohol and drugs in the quantities used by the character have a way of making people stupid.
My quick search of the internet shows me that Alison Poole is more famous than I thought. McInerney based the character on Lisa Druck, now known as Rielle Hunter. She made the news this fall for being John Edwards nookie on the side. Given that she slept her way around the campaign, I have a little bit of evidence that the description in the book is apt. Always creating drama. It fits.
Other blogged reviews:
Title: Story of My Life
Author: Jay McInerney
Cover creator: Lorraine Louie (designer) / Marc Tauss (artist)
Imprint / publisher: Vintage Contemporaries / Random House
Format: Paperback
Length: 188 p.
Publication date: August 1989
ISBN-10: 0-679-72257-2
Subject: Young women — Fiction
Subject: Generation X — Fiction
Subject: Sex customs — Fiction
Subject: Drug abuse — Fiction
Subject: New York (N.Y.) — Fiction
LC classification: PS3563.C3694 S76 1988b
wow. six degrees of separation, i guess. it’s a small world!