GQ South Africa — May 2017

BOOKS

Fast-rising fashionista

Cat Marnell tells the

story of her addiction

and downfall

Words byCayleigh Bright

A

ddictionmemoirsshouldmakefor

engaging reading, satisfying the less

likeablesideofhumannaturewith

theircocktailofvice,gore,decadenceand

tragedy–aswellasthecomfortingthought

thatnomatterhowbadlywe’remessing

up,there’ssomeonewho’smadebigger

mistakes than our own and (usually) lived

to tell the tale.

Adecadeortwoago,thelikesofJames

Frey’s controversialA Million Little Pieces

kept readers enthralled and horriied with

what came to be known as ‘misery lit’ –

talesofwoethatoftenspannedfrom

unhappychildhoodsthroughaseriesof

harrowingincidents,usuallywithalot

ofbodilyluidsspiltalongtheway,and

redemption at the end. Whether the

genre was helped or hindered by Frey’s

confessionthathistell-allwasalittlemore

ictional than he’d led his audience to

believe, it lost its appeal. Maybe there’s

only so much misery that one reader can

endure,orperhapsitwasthebodilyluids.

In former beauty editor Cat Marnell’s

taleoflies,drugsanddesignerlipstick,

there’splentytoshockandhorrify.he

vomitisthere(theauthorbattlesbulimia

formuchofthestory),thebloodisthere

(in violent conlicts, a fallof a porch and

aparticularlyvividmousemurder),but

there’s a healthy dose of humour and

relatability that elevates the plot beyond

a typical tale of privilege and pain.

hat’snottosaythere’sanylackofeither

of those elements: Marnell’s wealthy but

troubled family, elite education interrupted

byaddictionandpartygirlyearsarealltoo

familiar. It’s thanks to the author’s light

touch, humour and understanding that

she doesn’t make for an altogether likeable

character, that the story feels (almost)

relatable even if you’re not an addict, a rich

girl, or an aspiring beauty editor. It’s also

veryfunny,whichisimportant:while

you’re reading about someone’s life not

falling apart but being butchered at their

ownhands,you’llneedsomecomicrelief.

Butwhatmakesthestorydiferentfrom

its predecessors is something that sounds

alittlesickinthere-telling:thatthe

narrator’s clear enthusiasm for her life at

thetimeofheraddictionisstillevident.

Even through near-crippling addiction,

clever management of the medication

sheingestedmeantthatMarnellwas

high-functioning in the most literal sense,

oftenexcellingatherjobandensuringthat

herprofessionallifewasontheupandup

–rightupuntilitwasn’t.Farfrommisery

lit, this is the story of someone coming

closetolosing

a life she loved,

and that’s where

its power lies.

Is this the

beginning of

another era of

titles about

amphetamines

and self-sabotage?

Probably not. And

that’s a good thing:

the world doesn’t

need a lot of

cautionary tales,

just a few that

do the job.

Whileyou’rereadingaboutsomeone’slifenot

fallingapartbutbeingbutcheredattheirown

hands, you’ll need some comic relief

HowtoMurder

Your Life by Cat

Marnell(Simon

and Schuster)

R348 at

Exclusive Books

PAIN

KILLER

Author Cat Marnell

MAY 2017 GQ.CO.ZA 41