Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A young woman grows up fast as a rock band groupie Priscus's resonant debut. With $400 and her "truest friend," a Polaroid Instamatic, Faun Novak arrives in Los Angeles in 1977 to reunite with her best friend, Josie, a year after they graduated high school. Young, impressionable, exuberant, but with less street smarts than Josie, Faun launches herself headlong into documenting the groupies and stars of a band called Holiday Sun. Josie, who is dating front man Cal Holiday, is her ticket backstage. But before Faun's dreams of a glamorous life can crystallize, she endures Cal's volatile moods and learns of his violent history, and then catastrophe strikes. As Faun tries cocaine, hooks up with a bassist, and considers how far she'll go to support Josie, she begins yearning for a more grounded life, realizing that "roots are hard to plant in concrete." Through a succession of vivid scenery and authentically groovy characters, Priscus plants her finger on the fluttering pulse of the 1970s rock scene. This spirited dive into the past will delight rock fans young and old. (July)
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Review by Library Journal Review
When starry-eyed college dropout Faun lands in 1970s Los Angeles, she reconnects with childhood friend Josie and is introduced to the blazing rock band Holiday Sun, fronted by Josie's boyfriend. Faun is immediately taken with the groupies, from a rebellious high schooler to a drug-dealing new mother who dreams of stardom for herself, and begins capturing them on film. Just as her overall behavior veers into recklessness, Faun begins to realize how dangerous her new life is. From Canadian debuter Priscus, a Pushcart nominee; with a 75,000-copy first printing.
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
In 1977, a young woman moves to Los Angeles and quickly finds herself caught up in the exciting--but dangerous--music scene. Priscus' debut novel starts with a bang: "Josie, who'd be covered in blood on bathroom tiles in nine months' time, met me at the Greyhound Station." The "me" in question is Faun Novak, who has nothing to lose when she moves to LA to live with her high school best friend, Josie. A recent college dropout, Faun arrives with little more than her beloved Polaroid camera. Josie's always been a bit larger than life, and now she's spun her charm into something truly impressive: She's dating Cal Holiday, the lead singer of the rock band Holiday Sun. Faun easily gets swept into Josie's glamorous world, clutching her camera and taking photographs of the debauched situations she encounters behind the scenes as she and Josie party with the band. Faun befriends the other girls who hang out with Holiday Sun, the ones who are often dismissed as groupies--a band member's wife, another band member's underage girlfriend. But all that glitters isn't gold, and Josie's relationship with Cal Holiday isn't as perfect as it looks from the outside. The lifestyle that Faun thought she wanted and the band she initially worshipped aren't quite as exciting after countless concerts and parties. And as Faun's journey races toward the bloody ending promised in the opening line, she realizes that she may be in way over her head. The story is peppered with so many details about debauched parties and blaring music that readers can almost see the Polaroids that Faun compulsively snaps. And although it's quite effective as a time capsule of the 1970s rock scene, it's also an exploration of obsession and a compassionate look at the women and girls many people would easily dismiss. This would be a perfect choice for fans of Daisy Jones & the Six. A gritty, glamorous novel full of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
