If the tag line for a debut novel called THE WRECKING BALL — “Drugs. Booze. New York. Drugs. Booze. London. Drugs. Booze. Parties. Drugs. Booze. Sleep?” — makes you feel tired just reading it, note that the story sprang from the mind of 21-year-old university student, CHRISTIANA SPENS.
She’s still at that age when A.D.D. and boundless energy are as everyday as chain smoking and cocktails, so we’ll ignore it. Plus she’s British — so we don’t judge her as harshly as we would some upstart from the Upper East Side.
Also important to note: Spens took about three weeks to write The Wrecking Ball when she was only nineteen. The result is, there’s not a lot of plot here, just plenty of voyeuristic glimpses into the lives of wealthy 20-somethings (“…I’m just regurgitating an article I half read in VOGUE this morning over my breakfast of orange juice and vodka.”) who blot the pain of their existence in hedonism. So it’s kind like GOSSIP GIRL, but a lot darker.
It’s still way too early to tell if she’s the U.K.’s BRETT EASTON ELLIS or simply good at churning out trustafarian trashy reads, but one thing is for certain: this is a girl who knows the London and Manhattan party scenes well enough to mock the lifestyle.
After the jump, read on for the five completely random people she’d like to take out on the town.
1. COLETTE – Her husband locked her in a room, forced her to write novels, and then passed them off as her own… so I want to hear ALL of the details.
2. ANAIS NIN – She could teach me everything I pretend I already know.
3. JAY MCINERNEY – Maybe he could get me a part on GOSSIP GIRL? I mean why wait 50 years to sell out? Why not just bite the bullet and get it over with now?
4. NICK MCDONNELL – I had a crush on him when I was fifteen.
5. MARQUIS DE SADE – I mean it would be dangerous, he’d probably try and corrupt me and take me to orgies and stuff, but it would make a good story…