BOOK REVIEW: Cherry Bomb by Jenny Valentish

BOOK REVIEW: Cherry Bomb by Jenny Valentish
Allen & Unwin, rrp $29.99
July 2014
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
9/10

Nina Dall is a train wreck – part Courtney Love, part Veronicas, part self-destructive time bomb – and she’s half of the pop-punk band The Dolls alongside cousin Rose.

In Valentish’s debut novel the long-time muso and music journalist has created a heroine difficult to love, and impossible not to, and sets her careering from one success to another as she simultaneously calls disaster after disaster to rain down upon herself.

It’s not all Nina’s fault – she’s a fractured soul with dark secrets, a taste for sex & drugs & rock n’ roll, and a former rock star Aunty who may be the worst role model ever… but can still open a few doors for her precocious nieces.

Cherry Bomb follows the girls through their late teens and first two albums, before leaving the door open for a sequel, and it’s a gripping rollercoaster ride of a read that lays bare a lot of the disturbing realities of the Australian music business.

 

Category: Book Reviews