Bookclub Books:

I'd read one line of prose about a year ago in some broadsheet and noted the author and work on a scrap of paper. This may have gone the way of the millions of other notes I make for myself bar one thing; the author, JT Leroy, has become a bit of a phenomenon, a "darling", so I’ve found myself tripping over his name more than once since.

Now I'm with Public Enemy when they say, "Don't believe the hype". There is nothing that puts me off books more than seeing everyone on the bus reading it or, worse, having celebrities gushing on about it and sitting in the front row at readings (Leroy has been given the big ol' celeb stamp of approval by such dignitaries as Madonna).

So I was torn in choosing a work by Leroy for book club but decided to go for it, choosing Sarah, the somewhat autobiographical debut by this young writer. Two things could happen I reckoned; we could hate it and have a good old bitch about celebrity endorsement or I could be transformed from cynic to dedicated follower of personality opinion.

Well I certainly wasn’t disappointed by my choice, Sarah is something quite different, it tells what is essentially a harrowing tale but without being maudlin or self-pitying, it is humorous and entertaining. The protagonist ‘Sarah’ is a young boy who on entering life as a transvestite ‘lot lizard’ or truck stop prostitute takes the pseudonym of this oft absent lot lizard mother.

The imagery is vividly drawn, in the words of the DJ ‘graphic’ not in being salacious but in having the same feeling as a graphic novel with each charter being strongly delineated and coloured in.

Much of our discussion centered around the PR on Leroy's work – the notion of them being semi biographical. How much of it is? Is any of it? Really I don’t think that matters, this work lives in a strange fantasyland of raccoon penis bones, Jackalope shrines and eye burning ramps. Its no surprise that one of Leroy’s other novel “The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things” has been turned into a film. Sarah has being written with such a strong visual air that it cries out to be seen, perhaps here is where some biography of Leroy’s comes in, perhaps this is the work of a boy who spent his time in the worlds of comics and films, a world of high speed chases that ultimately end with the bad guys being overcome and the hero being saved.

As for me I may not be easily won over but this book has proved that if everyone is saying its good, then well, it just might be. 3/5

Score awarded by Bibliofemme: 3.7 out of 5

What the other femmes had to say
"I loved this book, its wacky weird and wonderful. Love the culinary references and all the trucker metaphors. It is refreshing to read something so offbeat every once in a while." 4/5

"Leroy's cartoonish tale is like a underworld fairytale which could have descended into polemic, but he manages to combine objectivity and a sense of humour with the darkest subject matter. It also reminded me of graphic novels and films and along with inventive language and strong characterisation, this is a highly original, multimedia novel." 4/5

"This book made me feel sad, very, very sad. It is incredibly well written and made for a very pleasant change in terms of writing and style. However an overwhelming sadness engulfed me while I read it, so for that reason alone I can't recommend it." 3/5

"Sarah is tragically comic and extremely unusual. A memorable read." 4/5

"An amazing book that left me with many questions. LeRoy manages to tackle one of humanities darkest issues (child prostitution) with a humourous edge, keeping the reader only an arm's legnth from tears. I look forward to seeing what else this author will have to offer in the future." 4/5

"Imaginative and vivid, Sarah is nothing if not surreal, but this coming-of-age tale is driven by a core honesty that makes it somehow unforgettable." 4/5