Here Kitty Kitty by Jardine Libaire

Here Kitty Kitty by Jardine Libaire

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Published by: Hogarth Publish Date: February 27, 2018
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3.25 Stars
New York at night is an urban playground where glamour and danger are just flip sides of the same thrilling coin. The tough, beautiful player at the heart of Jardine Libaire's acclaimed first novel is Lee, the consummate party girl. Lee has the right designer clothes, the right job managing a stylish restaurant, and the right lover, who finances all her bad habits. As the lights go down at closing time, the energy of the city is a call Lee cannot resist, even when her Cinderella-like existence begins to unravel.

The descriptive narrative style the author uses reminds me very much of Emma Forrest's breakthrough novel, Thin Skin. The difference? I found Forrest's tale more interesting and ultimately meaningful. Here Kitty Kitty is more of a pale, whiny version of the 90's movie, Party Girl, starring Parker Posey.

Lee is a spoiled brat who's never had to rely on herself for anything. She takes no responsibility in her actions, knowing someone will bail her out of her messes, as they always do.

She's come to a crossroads in her life. Her best friend, and former partner in partying, has grown up and settled down. Her much older sugar daddy of a boyfriend has a health scare which prompts him to put a ring on her finger. Still, she's spending money like she has it, ignoring her rent, drinking and drugging her days and nights through, and assuming it will all just go away if she wills that to happen hard enough.

While there is a brief turning point when a new guy enters her life, it is unbelievable. She suddenly decides to sober up and even breaks it off with the guy because she realizes she needs to learn to be on her own. The catalyst for this 180 turnaround was just not enough for me to get behind this change in her behavior. I just felt "meh" about the whole thing.

If you are looking for a character study, this honestly isn't it. It's more of a showcase for the author's quick-witted word-smithing rather than an actual plot piece. While I admire the style, I wanted more. I gave it 3.25 stars for the actual writing. That's all I could muster.