Postcards From the Edge by Carrie Fisher

Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher


It's been a while, and I apologize. Life has just been very busy over the past few weeks, and my attention has been elsewhere. I've been too tired to actually sit down and write up these posts. Things have settled now, so I should be back to posting more regularly. And to reading, as that has suffered, too! This book was a departure from my usual fantasy and science fiction reading material. I could claim the Carrie Fisher/Star Wars connection, and there is some truth in that, since it was knowing that Fisher was in Star Wars that made me look at the book. I also have to admit that I didn't have really high expectations, but the book surprised me.

It is the story of Suzanne Vale, a young Hollywood actress, who details her life as a drug addicted Hollywood starlet trying to cope with the glitzy, glamourized world she lives in.

The book starts with Suzanne in a drug rehabilitation facility, a place where she really doesn't think she belongs. The first part of the book is written as a series of short (postcards?) diary entries from Suzanne and another addict, Alex, who is a screenwriter and thinks he is in love with Suzanne. After her discharge, the story turns to a more conventional narrative style and follows Suzanne as she tries to fit back into the world of Hollywood: shopping, making a movie, even spending an entire depressive week without getting out of bed. It's funny, sharp, emotional, and told as only someone familiar with Suzanne's world could. It is fiction, but Fisher's life experience certainly plays a large part.

This was a good break from my normal genre, and generally, a fun read.

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