cover image Bolt Risk

Bolt Risk

Ann Wood, . . Leapfrog, $14.95 (166pp) ISBN 978-0-9728984-6-1

A bildungsroman for the MTV generation, Wood's debut features plenty of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, described in a too-cool-for-school monotone. The slight plot begins as the unnamed protagonist, a personal assistant (aka "paid butt-wiper") to a B-list Hollywood actress, bids farewell to her boss and meets the hard-rocking man of her bad-girl fantasies, Adam. Over conversations about Freud and Gauguin, the pair fall in love, eventually pledging commitment in a satanic marriage ceremony. Soon, Adam's traveling with his successful heavy metal band, while she fills her time working as a stripper, snorting lines of speed and looking for "orgasm-distraction." Love inevitably turns to hate, and she winds up in a mental institution. But, as she comes to realize, "living in hell feeds the creative process." Welcomed as voyeurs, readers are given an insider's look into the subculture created by the smart and talented who arrive in L.A. with big dreams and wind up with big addictions. Privileging shock over style, Wood gives her protagonist deadpan lines like "He was corny, but I was horny." But behind the sometimes awkward prose lies a genuine sentiment that speaks to alienated teenagers, world-weary hipsters and cynical survivors of all stripes. Like Go Ask Alice , this tell-all tells much about what it sometimes takes to survive. (Nov.)