Weetzie Bat Book

The disclaimer here is that everyone else I know who read this book liked it, but I felt so strongly about this book after I read it I had to put my two cents in anyway, even knowing that I may be going against the grain here. It's difficult to say what age I would ever consider recommending this book to because the message and subject matter here seems a bit mature for young teens, yet the entire thing feels like it's written at about a fourth grade reading level. The characters exist in a sort of shimmery fantasyfied L.A. that (if you've read up even a little bit on Old Hollywood history) didn't even exist in the days of Marilyn, James Dean, Jayne Mansfield and the other movie icons Weetzie and her friends idolize. There are sporadic tears in the gauze curtain through which we can glimpse the darker and seedier side: there are hints that a friend of a friend found out they had AIDS, someone's close relative dies from a drug overdose. Still, these glimpses end up coming across like the line of fine print on a cigarette package--cautionary bits stamped on out of some sort of afterthought or imposed obligation, without sincerity or compassion, and as such, they are quickly passed over. To be fair though, at least the glossed over Barbie Dream Home fairy tale shimmeriness is consistent. After all, in Weetzie's world, everyone finds their ideal matches, ready-made with the same cutesy nicknames that she and her best friend came up with when they were even younger and sillier, everyone lives together on their own without any trouble or financial worry, and even an impulsive and ill-devised baby-making scheme involving a threesome with a best friend and his significant other can turn out hunky-dory. The babies themselves seem to be regarded as little doll-like beings, and the entire thing is dealt with in such a precious manner readers might find it advisable to keep an insulin shot at the ready. Add to this the fact that everything (dialogue and narrative) is written in an odd stuttery style that I suppose could be found either whimsical or deeply irritating, depending on the sort of person you are. (Example: "Vixanne is evil,' My Secret Agent Lover Man said. 'I've got to give the baby back.' 'If she is evil, we can't do that," Weetzie said, 'We have to take care of the baby.' 'Yeah, we can call her Witch Baby,' Dirk said."' Or, from another section: "I am the genie of the lamp, and I am here to grant you three wishes," the man said.)

Weetzie is quirky without depth. There's no road map here for dealing with any of the problems she does encounter because she never deals with them. She denies them or ignores them until a convenient magical solution manifests itself or else she runs away from them, and the other characters aren't really much more than pretty shiny accessories. Overall the book is definitely unusual and original, but that is really the only thing that can be said for it. I expected to be blown away and it was an utter disappointment.