Paint it Black by Janet Fitch

 

Book Summary(via Goodreads):

 

Paint it Black" captures that throbbing ache that is being a young girl faced with a great tragedy...made worse by the fact that the tragedy is a Prince Charming-ish first love. Josie, the art model main character, longs, pines, grieves with keen intensity. Her process of mourning is set against a vibrant back drop of 80s punk/alt Los Angeles. Plenty emo. Though the backdrop is vibrant and exciting, the reader can't help but feel the emptiness of this scene when reminded of the heroine's loss. When you don't have that special person to keep sharing life with, is anything worthwhile? Fitch also crosses into territory that is much in need of exploration in terms of class. This book delineates class differences in America in a very real way...no one talks about this enough. We blindly pretend it doesn't matter. Josie finds out in subtle ways how it does and when it doesn't.

 

This insomniac's review:

 

Oh, Janet Fitch.

 

How you make me go all Fan girl after reading your gritty, dirty amazing writing.

 

Sigh.

 

Gritty, dark and starkly beautiful in that unique way that only this author has. 

 

 Janet Fitch writes with such a unique style and uses words in such a grippingly bleak way that I find myself rolling the phrases over my tongue again and again, enamored her writing. It takes me far longer to read the novel than I should but I cannot help compulsively re-reading the most stunning sentences.

 

Gah. So good in such a bad way.

 

 

Worth staying up all night to read?

 

YES! Be sure that you are okay with very gritty, real dark fiction, though. It is not for everyone.

 

Rating:

 

4 1/2 dark, glittery stars.