Rockstarlet: A Novel Book

This book disappointed me.

Legitimate, literary fiction about gay rock musicians is hard to find. With the exception of Joel Lane's darkly intense From Blue to Black, there's precious little out there that captures the gritty reality of the music business. In terms of its tone, Rockstarlet is less like a rock novel than it is a throwback to one of those cheesy, dishy 1970's Hollywood novels by Harold Robbins or Sidney Sheldon. Well…that is without the drugs, alcoholism, sex, bad behavior and scandal. In other words, all the juicy stuff.

First time author, Stewart Lewis, an out-of-the-closet singer-songwriter himself, presumably modeled his protagonist, Jackson Poole, on himself to some degree. With this in mind, it strikes me that he's going out of his way to illustrate [to all the homophobes who might inexplicably be reading his book] that gay people are family friendly and virtuous. Much to the detriment of the story's interest factor. So, basically what you're getting here is a neutered Danielle Steele story - the hero (more Donny Osmond than Scott Weiland) selling his soul for a chance at fame and then living to regret it, until the truth sets him free.

Ho-hum.

It's corny, but not all bad. Lewis's writing style is relaxed and easy to read. Plus he manages to capture that odd dichotomy of life in Hollywood; all that desperate ambition lurking behind the laid back SoCal veneer. And if you get a giggle from those LGBT novels and films that name drop celebrities who've fallen under the "are-they-or-aren't-they?" media microscope you'll appreciate all the cameos/mentions to be found here (including, but not limited to, Richard Gere, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jodie Foster, Whoopie Goldberg and Benicio Del Toro). And the message, however banal and obviously stated, is a solid one.

Me however, I wasn't entirely convinced. I mean, Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Bob Mould (Husker Du) and Edward Droste (Grizzly Bear) are all openly gay rockstars and I can't imagine any one of them living the sort of lifestyle that Poole does. The book might have held more appeal for me if it was about an actor rather than a struggling musician, because the settings, characters, fashion, conversations and general mood don't seem remotely related to the rock world. Unless, the only point of reference one has is American Idol…which is just a carefully orchestrated (i.e, scripted) TV show.

Looking for a light read with a toothless cast of characters and a happy ending? Give this a go. Looking for a shocking expose of closeted celebrities in the music industry? Keep looking.

Personally, I don't think that one has been written yet.