The Brightest Star In The Sky
The Brightest Star In The sky
Marian Keyes
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There’s a sub genre in literature known as Chick-Lit. Short (in case you haven’t figured it out) for chick literature. There’s a sub, sub-genre in Chick-Lit known as Irish Chick-Lit. In this small (but popular) sub, sub-genre Marian Keyes is the long reigning queen.
Keyes, the best-selling author of Sushi For Beginners and Rachel’s Holiday, has a following more dedicated than Tolkien. It’s easy to see why her style is so appealing: Her books work on a basic formula where she takes a serious issue (cancer, drug addiction, suicide, rape etc) and disguises it in a warm, fluffy, readable package. Add to that: Relatable lead female characters, Irish humour and a heavy dose of sexy male love interests and you’ve got yourself a best-seller.
So it will come as quite a shock that her latest book The Brightest Star In The Sky is a bitter disappointment.
The story centres around a group of individuals living in the same apartment building in Dublin at 66 Star Street. The group is a mixture of ages, men, women, and couples. And although (like all good neighbours) they never speak to each other, their stories are all somehow intertwined.
Narrated by a mysterious and rather annoying non-earthly being, the stories jump back and forth in manner that, while successful in her previous novels, becomes confuddled with so many characters. And it drags on. Terribly. For over 600 pages.
The purpose of chick literature is to fully engross you in something, while remaining effortless to read. Instead, The Brightest Star In The Sky takes on a uncanny likeness to an episode of Lost, employing a smorgasbord of genres from science fiction, to tragedy, suspense, comedy, romance and mystery. In the end we eat too much, feel sick and quite possibly give up before finishing the meal. After so long at the top Keyes looks to be wobbling on her Irish Chick-Lit throne.
Amanda Haxton