Marlie, a Toronto teen, starts keeping a journal in August 1990 and keeps it up through October 1992. In that time she obsesses over the the Pretenders, learns to play guitar, discovers riot grrrl, starts a band, makes and loses friends, falls in love with a girl, falls in love with a boy, sees a lot of shows, and basically embraces and releases her inner fierceness.
My enjoyment of teen novels has waned of late, but zinester Jennifer Whiteford gets the voice totally right. The only thing that is a little annoying is the use of capital letters in Marlie’s diary entries. I can forgive that convention because it’s better than underlining, which is what would happen in a handwritten journal.
CATS: No, and wtf, don’t all riot grrrls have cats? If not, they should.