Teen women struggle with fallout of fame

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This article was published 06/07/2019 (2658 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

IN Every Little Piece of Me, Canadian author Amy Jones opens a window of understanding into the lives of celebrity girls “gone wild” that is entertaining, thoughtful and moving.

The novel describes five years in the lives of two teenage women as they simultaneously grow up and into the public eye.

Ava Hart is the eldest teenage daughter of two small-c celebrity fathers; the family is conscripted by circumstance into starring in a reality show. Home is Where the Hart Is follows a modern family with two gay parents and three interracial kids as they move from New York City to rural Nova Scotia to run a bed and breakfast; the premise of the reality show is so spot-on, it could already be in your TV guide. Her family’s foibles (often staged for the show — “Cut! Could you say that again?”) and her own typical teenage sullenness become outsized on the small screen.

Meanwhile, Mags Kovach escapes the horror of an abusive, unloving childhood to become the charismatic lead singer of an up-and-coming indie rock band by the side of her bassist boyfriend and two of his high school friends. Mags’ gift for music and performance is undermined by the industry’s exploitation of women and the toll touring takes on the mental health of artists.

Both women are forced to grapple with personal tragedy and the turbulence of young adulthood in the blinding glare of the spotlight, their private struggles becoming fodder for publicity machines churning out hokum to an insatiable public: “She was setting herself on fire and everyone was just watching, cameras out, waiting to see how hot she would burn.”

The novel alternates between the two women’s perspectives, interspersed with wittily accurate send-ups of press releases, social-media posts, fan correspondence and celebrity gossip rags — including spot-on comments by the public — that help move the plot forward.

Like Jones’ first novel, 2016’s We’re All In This Together, her sophomore effort does a beautiful job of populating authentic Canadian locations with genuine, three-dimensional characters — in particular, her complicated female protagonists are authentic and satisfying.

Jones’ piercing portrayal of the effects of fame stays with the reader long after the story has ended.

Whenever one flips past the latest reality show or scans the tabloids in the checkout line, the reader can’t help but consider the real people behind the headlines.

“Why do people think they can say whatever they want about us?” Mags wonders. “We’re public property,” Ava replies. “People think our stories belong to them.”

This fast-paced, entertaining story provides new insight into privacy, fame, notoriety and people’s need to own their personal stories.

Wendy Sawatzky is associate editor of digital news for winnipegfreepress.com and commander-in-chief at wendysawatzky.com.