WebNovDec18

www.westendermagazine.com | 53
To Throw Away
Unopened
by Viv Albertine
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Those of us old enough to
remember punk will know Viv
Albertine from The Slits. This is
her second autobiographical
offering and deals primarily
with the death of her mother
and all the guilt, memories
and family drama which is
inextricably bound up with
these occasions. If you think
your family is dysfunctional,
take a break from the
Christmas family drama and
tune in to the drama that is the
Albertine family.
The discovery of her father’s
diaries provides the writer
with a very different view
of her childhood, whilst the
discovery of a bag of papers
in her mother’s wardrobe
following her death only serves
to muddy the waters even
more. ‘Truth is splintered’, as
the writer states. The chapters
are cleverly structured, all
beginning with ‘the present’
as the writer copes with her
mother’s impending death,
physically fighting with her
sister over her dying mother’s
bed and invoking serious
injuries in the process.
Following these sections we
have older memories sparked
by whatever is happening
in the present, the Proust’s
madeleine approach, which
seems fitting given her French
background. Pictures of
locations and objects germane
to the story are beautifully
shot and really bring to life the
narrative. The many quotations
peppered throughout the book
are insightful and thoughtprovoking.
Albertine has
fought for most of her life –
against her sister, her father,
male oppression, societal
expectations – and has come
out the other side. This is a
powerful punk of a book.
After making a hilarious
self-diagnosis which proves
not to be so fatal after all,
Grace Dart has a new lease
of life and is determined to
live it to the max. She makes
a bucket list and, following a
very stressful year studying for
her GCSEs, she is determined
to experience all that life has
to offer away from the stuffy
confines of her bedroom, her
books, post-its, highlighters
and cue cards.
Her journey takes her
to Paris with her gran, on
a death-defying swing on
Brighton beach and thrusts
her into a variety of new
relationships. Grace is a
teenage girl who has striven
most of her life to please her
parents and suddenly finds
herself with a summer ahead
of her where the only agenda
is to have fun.
This book is hilarious in
parts where Grace lurches
from one crazy experience to
the next. However, there are
also important life lessons
embedded within the novel,
although delivered with a
light touch. Vallance depicts a
teenage girl in full existential
crisis whilst at the same time
providing highly entertaining
material which all teenage girls
will be able to relate to.
The crises range from
careers, studying, parenting
and death to friendships,
sexuality and relationships.
It’s a whirlwind ride, like the
amusements on Brighton
beach, but it’s full of poignant
moments and teenage angst.
Give your teen a break this
festive period and buy this
book!
You Only Live Once
by Jess Vallance
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