Gotta Find Me an Angel

Brenda Brooks

Gotta Find Me an Angel, the first novel by an author who has published two collections of poetry, is a tale of love and jealousy among lesbians. The narrator, in her 30s, is still hopelessly pining for her first love, a teenage girl, Madeline, who drowned years before, and whose ghost still visits her. The narrator lives with Billie, a somewhat deluded poet who drives a classic canary-yellow Pontiac Parisienne. Both of them are in love with Julia, a painter who has grace and charm to burn. Meanwhile, Billie’s rival is a successful poet and academic, ffiona perks. Petty jealousies and envies percolate throughout, with much of the action taking place at dinners and parties.

Because the narrator works as a projectionist in a review cinema, there is plenty of opportunity to reference relevant classic films. Music is also a constant, especially the songs of Aretha Franklin. Because much of the story takes place in the narrator’s head, this novel could have turned maudlin but is saved by its devastating humour, which is consistently bemused, cynical, and self-deprecating. The story is also filled with dazzling lines, as when the narrator addresses Madeline, ‘Oh, the tales I could tell–and will. You may be the ghost, but I’m the scary story,’ or when Billie describes her rival, ffiona: ‘Doesn’t her voice sound exactly like someone’s playing with their zipper?’ Though rather thin on plot, the quality of the writing and the genuine characters make Gotta Find Me an Angel a worthwhile read.–Mark Frutkin

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Details

ISBN	1551927179
Genre	Fiction
Publication Date	04-Feb-05
Publisher	Raincoast Books
Format	Hardcover
No. of Pages	224
Language	English
Rating	NotRated
BookID	4985

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Gotta Find Me an Angel by Brenda Brooks