Review Detail

I admit I'm a huge fan of the 80s. I left home to attend a private university in the later 80s. During this time I discovered the nearby clubs around Salt Lake City. Along with the good times I saw other things like the drugs that could suck you dry.

I was really excited to be able to read WHITE LINES which shows us seventeen-year-old Cat who works the velvet rope at some of the hottest clubs in NYC around the same time I was attending college. Cat's vulnerability of getting close to anyone is shadowed by her 'night' self where she lets the music, drugs, and high pulsing energy of clubbing try to erase her pain. She can't handle being close to anyone and lives alone. Her father is distant while her socialite mother is verbally and emotionally abusive. Then she meets someone who might break through her wall. But will it be too late?

Loved, loved the voice of this emotionally packed coming of age story. The portrayal of the craziness of clubbing is realistic. The pounding music that vibrates throughout your whole being is one experience you'll never forget. Also I know during the 80s it was 'in' to let yourself go wild. Madonna was hot. The crazy themes that WHITE LINES shows did in fact really exist. But so did the drug use. The author doesn't hold back in showing how drugs seduce Cat and have her continue to use them to numb out her 'real' world.

One great line from the book--

...All the coke, or maybe the emotional burnout of the past day, has finally rendered me numb...

Also--

...drugs let me release everything pent up inside for so long, the way they made me feel bigger than I actually was and more numb than I ever want to be again...

I love the other characters too. Giovanni, her gay club friend, who has his own secrets. Sara, the best friend, who introduces her to the clubbing scene but doesn't 'get' Cat's fascination and burning desire to be part of this life to the point of dropping out of school. Even Alexa, the 'mean' girl who shows she's not the stereotypical nasty girl but has her own vulnerabilities and desires too.

The biggest strength of this novel has to be the voice and the emotional struggles and conflicts Cat faces. It's raw and gritty, holding nothing back. The author paints a haunting portrayal on the consequences of partying. Totally love this. Even the scene where the owner of one of the clubs tries to hit on her is very creepy. How far would someone go to be a vital part of a social scene? The answer is haunting.

What I did want to see more of though had to be Julian, her love interest. There's some places that we see glimpses of him and his attempts to draw Cat out of her shell. I wanted more.

Amazing coming of age story with an emotional punch that cuts to your very soul. Loved it!