Most readers pick up memoirs hoping to learn some juicy tidbit about the writer and many are a disappointment in that the writer proves to be less than fabulous, and possibly a downright schmuck. Rat Girl is different. For one thing, it's one year in the life of teenage Kristen Hersh, and I knew more about the outcome of that year and what came next than Hersh-the-teenage-narrator did. For another, she proved to be delightful beyond my wildest dreams, someone I'd be thrilled to know. Rat Girls was compelling and a quick read, and I enjoyed having "insider information" rather than the other way around. But the caveat is that I can't really tease apart how much of my enjoyment came from knowing Hersh through her music, knowing the players (literally and figuratively) and wanting to assure her that in fact, her music mattered, and would to a great many people for many, many years. Then againThrowing Muses wasn't a band that grabbed everyone, either.Even if you have no prior knowledge of Kristen Hersh, Rat Girl is worth reading for narrative technique that's both effective and unusual. If you already like her' you're in for a treat. I can't give this five stars for everyone, but it's kind of a five star book for me (I'm currently re-reading it), because I'm a musician. And not just a musician, but one who was "on the scene" right around the same time that Throwing Muses moved to Boston. My little star faded away, Kristin's shone brighter and brighter. She tells the story of the year the Muses broke, the same year she learned she had bipolar disorder, in a quirky stream of consciousness style based on a diary she kept at the time. Funny, touching, insightful, and thoroughly engaging -- at least for the right reader.
What do You think about Rat Girl (2010)?
Original and authentic voice of the 80s teenage indie.
—christamorgan
kicking ass, being sincere, living with wonder
—theresa
