cover image Rockstarlet

Rockstarlet

Stewart Lewis. Alyson Books, $14.95 (357pp) ISBN 978-1-55583-909-3

Rising pop singer Jackson Poole signs with Virgin Records in Lewis's name-dropping debut, but the 33-year-old's meteoric rise in the glamorous but dog-eat-dog music business will come at a price. Jackson is gay, a quirk that just won't fly with the fans, according to his label and handlers. So Jackson's world tour (and path to Grammy nomination) is marred with schemes to keep up hetero appearances. His handler gets him photographed with a closeted lesbian soap opera actress, and exults when Jackson also shows up in the tabloids with the teenaged diva he's touring with, but Jackson's career is nearly ruined by an innocent pic of him kissing his brother good-bye. To complicate things, Jackson is stalked by a deranged ex-lover-turned-paparazzi. Good thing he believes it's all about the music. When he does decide to break the charade, the fallout (or lack thereof) is anti-climatic.