GG finished reading Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
I found myself more irritated than I expected that this is not a memoir, but a novel that is a lightly-fictionalized account of the author’s own experience. I was constantly wondering what was actually true and what was invented, which was distracting. I was also bothered by the author’s hatred toward “The Defendant,” which, though understandable, came across as amateurish writing, describing him at one point as a “booger-eating alcoholic who had picked up a heroin habit on the inside.” I appreciate that her intent was to counter the image of him in the press as clever and cunning, but the message is much more effective when she does so in more subtle ways, such as describing his courtroom interrogation of her as a witness. The author centers the story on the many “bright young women” involved, rather than on the killer, which is admirable and makes for an interesting …
I found myself more irritated than I expected that this is not a memoir, but a novel that is a lightly-fictionalized account of the author’s own experience. I was constantly wondering what was actually true and what was invented, which was distracting. I was also bothered by the author’s hatred toward “The Defendant,” which, though understandable, came across as amateurish writing, describing him at one point as a “booger-eating alcoholic who had picked up a heroin habit on the inside.” I appreciate that her intent was to counter the image of him in the press as clever and cunning, but the message is much more effective when she does so in more subtle ways, such as describing his courtroom interrogation of her as a witness. The author centers the story on the many “bright young women” involved, rather than on the killer, which is admirable and makes for an interesting narrative. But ultimately, I struggled to finish it.