Book Review : Call Me Star Girl by Louise Beech

I loved Maria in the Moon by Louise Beech and was excited by the idea of the deliciously titled Call Me Star Girl which has been creeping up my TBR list since it launched. I was not disappointed.

Two words: Obsessive Love. For this is what Ms Beech’s brilliantly written, poignant and just plain creepy novel boils down to; the ripple effects of what can happen when people love too much.

Call Me Star Girl is a captivating story with a timeline that spans one fateful Night. Cleverly, the author manages to weave in a lifetime of pent up struggle and emotion, told through the eyes of Stella, a mid-twenties radio presenter, and her mother Elizabeth. It’s a story about love, obsession, secrets, shadows and regrets.

Events take place during Stella’s last ever radio show, with flashbacks that span both her own lifetime and her mother’s. This is a book about women for women with the nature of mother/daughter relationships at its heart. The male characters are indeed pivotal to the action but we scarcely care what they think, and they win little to no affection.

I loved Louise’s narrative style; its lack of flowery prose is just right for me as it is evocative, rather than descriptive. I read one review that had described the book as repetitive and in some parts it is, but in a deliberate and artful way that illustrates how Stella’s life is spinning out of control and the desperation she feels, with much of her inner dialogue reminding me of someone who suffers from anxiety or OCD.

Regards plot, there are myriad twists and turns and you’ll find your sympathy vacillating from one character to another as the facts emerge and overall it makes for a tight and tense read.

The ending is shocking, utterly unpredictable – and absolutely right. I loved it.

Published by Orenda and out now https://www.amazon.co.uk/Call-Star-Girl-Louise-Beech/dp/1912374633/