This was Gordon Burn’s debut novel; released in 1991 it won the Whitbread Book Award. The novel is based upon a real character, the singer Alma Cogan, who was extremely successful in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Known as, “the girl with the giggle in her voice, “ Cogan was the highest paid British female entertainer in her heyday. In reality, Alma Cogan died in 1966 at the tragically young age of thirty four. However, this book takes as the premise that she did not die, but lived on into obscurity.This is an extraordinary look at what comes after fame and how to cope with both sides of the coin. Although the fictional Alma Cogan is often dismissive of her life on the road, constantly touring, and more than aware of the seedy side of show business, she obviously also hankers after some aspects of her past life. Having spent much of her youth partying with the famous and jetting off with movie stars, the Alma we meet lives in a small cottage, with her dog for company.Mixed up with Alma's search for herself are highlighted trips to look at her portrait, her clothes in museums and a visit to a scary and obsessive fan who does not seem to see that Alma herself is the person he is obsessed with. Mixed in with Alma's story is the search for Keith Bennett's body, making this is an even more unsettling read. If you have any interest in British pop music in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, this is a particularly enjoyable read.
