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Book Reviews Title One Hit
Wonder Fiction-Net
Rating Buy It
From Amazon.co.uk - BUY
NOW! Cover
Story Bee Bearhorn had
a number-one-hit single in 1985 - and was never
heard of again. Fifteen years later she is found
dead - and nobody seems to care. Ana Wills has
always daydreamed about the exotic half-sister she
hasn't seen for years. When she comes to London to
clear her flat, Ana begins to unravel Bee's
life: her missing cat, her secret country
cottage and her mysterious weekends
away. So, instead of
going back to Devon, Ana tracks down Bee's closest
friends, mad Lol and strong, silent Flint, and
together they set out to discover exactly what
happened to Bee Bearhorn, the one-hit
wonder... We
Say It becomes
apparent from the early stages of One Hit Wonder
that this is sort of a 'whodunit'. I say 'sort of',
because one-hit-wonder singer Bee Bearhorn has by
all accounts committed suicide. However, her
half-sister, Ana, and best friends Lol and Flint
find it hard to believe that anyone as outgoingly
strong and confident as Bee could possibly find
reason to kill themself. And so the three of them
embark on a quest to discover what befell Bee
Bearhorn, and why. Those who have
read Lisa Jewell's previous books, Ralph's
Party and
Thirty-Nothing,
will be expecting a fun and romantic story. They
won't be disappointed - but they will get something
extra. The biggest difference between One Hit
Wonder and Jewell's previous work is, without
doubt, the emotional impact of this book. The
sadness of Bee's life, that she has been unable to
show to even her close friends and family, will hit
you. The desperation that Ana feels in trying to
uncover the mystereous life and death of her
half-sister will frustrate and excite you
simutaneously. A significant
element of One Hit Wonder is the relationship that
Ana has, and Bee had, with their mother. A
seemingly bitter and twisted attention and
sympathy-seeker, Gay has made life hell for her two
daughters. Learning more about her and watching as
other people try to break her cold exterior is a
sometimes difficult, but thoroughly captivating
experience. The romance
element of One Hit Wonder comes when Ana and Flint
engage in their investigations, finding themselves
more and more drawn to each other. Each character
is completely likable and, despite the two of them
being very different characters, the romance works.
They both struggle to come to terms with the idea
that Bee could have killed herself, and they both
feel guilt. Again, the emotional impact is felt
strongly by the reader. The adventure
takes various pathes and has been cleverly
constructed to show you only as much as the writer
wants you to see. Some developments are expected,
others highly shocking, but they are all exciting.
The only criticism, and it is a small one, relates
to the very last few pages. The story appears to
fall together too perfectly for everyone involved
(with the obvious exception that someone has
died!). A bit too sweet-smelling,
perhaps. One Hit Wonder is
an easily read but tough-on-the-emotions novel. You
will thoroughly enjoy learning what happened to Bee
Bearhorn. The few occasions when we get to see Bee
in action directly are cherished, because they are
so rare. You actually feel privileged to be seeing
Bee in action, rather than learning about her from
other people. You realise you are in the company of
somebody special. Definitely Lisa
Jewell's best work to date and entirely
recommended. Review by: Rob
Cook |
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