Fashionable Insanity reads as part novel, part memoir, part exposé – blended beautifully. I loved the insights into the modeling world and experiencing them through the protagonist's eyes. The author combines pathos and humor with pain and longing. A wonderful read.' (Ian Hobbs – founder of the Devon Book Club, 7500 members)
'Engaging, tight, and very sharp. I can almost hear the protagonist's synapses firing! So quick.' (Marilyn 'Maz' Smith – Author)
Vanessa Bobowski is an introverted teenager stuck in the 60th largest town in Illinois. Plagued by guilt when her older brother Johnny dies, and abandoned by her father, Vanessa drops out of school to become her depressed mother's caretaker. A pivotal meeting occurs when Vanessa meets George Sanders, a flamboyant model agent from Chicago. Submerged by the fickle fashion world, Vanessa bumbles and fumbles while struggling with her identity, gender, sexuality, and relationships. It's the 1980s, just before the Berlin Wall falls, as two Italian designers whose first names start with G attempt to take over the world. Vanessa's whirlwind journey takes us through Chicago, Paris, Milan, Hamburg, London, and Tokyo in search of – herself.
Fashionable Insanity punctures a hole in a secret society while exploring deeper themes in which a box of unread letters holds a key. Fashionable Insanity combines the pathos and wit of Peter Hedges' What's Eating Gilbert Grape with Lauren Weinsenberger's The Devil Meets Prada. A page-turner, this fictional novel breaks down many clichés regarding fashion models, yet remains laced with colorful characters, reminiscent of Robert Altman's film Ready to Wear.
