Husbands: Love and Lies in La-La Land
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In Hollywood, every pavement star tells a story. Not all of them shine. Wannabe actor Kyle Macdonald is down on his luck. Working as a supply teacher in an inner-city Birmingham school, he's single again at twenty-eight, and sleeping in his childhood bedroom beneath a 'Hard Candy' Madonna poster. He gets a call claiming he drunkenly married top Hollywood director Aaron Biedermeier in Vegas six years ago. Rather than panic, he sees a golden ticket to fame and the life he's always fantasised about. But the glamourous veneer of Los Angeles - non-stop sunshine, celebrity actors and exclusive hotel suites - starts to crack, revealing a darker, corrupt underbelly to La-La Land. Kyle digs deeper into his so-called husband's past, unearthing disturbing allegations of abuse and underage sex parties. With the help of Biedermeier's fiancé, actor Noah Winters, he embarks on a cross-country race to unravel the mystery and expose the truth - finding love along the way. "Punchy writing and appealing characters." KIRKUS REVIEWS "Heart-mangling with LOL moments. I thoroughly enjoyed this dark, romantic road trip." TINA BAKER "A head-snapping dive into a twisted and sexy tale of ambition, revenge and murder set against a sun-bleached tear-stained postcard sent postage-due from the heart of Hollywood Babylon." JOSH LANYON
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If I were hard pressed to find a comparison for Husbands, I would have to reach across mediums, a mix of both a movie and a show. Part While You Were Sleeping because of both the obvious similarity in a pseudo-husband being in a coma while other relationships blossom, but also because the bright moments are so heartfelt they feel like they belong in a Sandra Bullock movie. The other part would be Baby Reindeer. The dark part of comedy is prevalent as well as what lengths some people will go to or endure in the pursuit of fame.
Reality provides a mirror to Husbands as well. The fictional director central to the plot can best be described by a reference the novel uses more than once: Har-Gay Weinstein. Not only does it showcase some of the wonderfully irreverent humor throughout, it's a warning for some of the plot elements present. The reader will be exposed to some of the seedier sides of Hollywood and all the extortion present there, both monetarily and sexually. The echoing trauma from being a part of that machine also contributes heavily to the plot.
While the characterizations are near perfect, none of the actual characters are. The flaws and vices, even of the two main characters, aren't hidden and are actually relevant to the story itself. From getting drunk married in Vegas to an attempted road trip in a foreign country without his passport, the point of view character has plenty of external obstacles. Yet, despite having to wrangle with himself too, there's a stubborn sense of optimism that makes it hard not to cheer for.
A practically flawless novel on the technical front too (only a handful of punctuation issues), I can't recommend Husbands enough for those who enjoy heavier elements mixed in with their humor.
