Tuesday, January 7, 1997
BOOK:
Jennifer Belle’s first novel is a scattered sequence of eventsBy
Stephanie Sheh
Daily Bruin Contributor
Every Sunday night, television watchers are bombarded with
movies with titles such as "To Love, Honor and Deceive" or "She
Cried No." While invariably bad, once a viewer tunes into the
scandalous topics, it is inexplicably addicting.
The premise of a NYU student working as a call girl to pay her
way through college fits the formula of these movies. However, it
will not be seen on ABC this Sunday. Instead, readers can find it
in "Going Down," the debut novel of Jennifer Belle. It follows the
adventures of aspiring actress Bennington Bloom.
Resembling a made for television movie, "Going Down" moves
quickly and is, on the surface, entertaining. An unusual (and
probably unrealistic) take on college life, it contains one
shocking event after another, missing plots with development and
characters with motivation.
The novel’s main problem is its lack of development.
Bennington’s motivation for taking on prostitution is unconvincing.
The idea is that she must prostitute herself because she needs the
money. However, she rejects many other possible avenues for a life
of prostitution.
The character also initially calls an escort service asking
about positions not involving sex. Nevertheless, when she arrives
at its office, she immediately accepts her duties as a call
girl.
Bennington’s reasons for leaving the business are just as abrupt
and underdeveloped. She gets fired from the escort service because
her boss, Holly, thinks that Bennington has been sleeping with her
husband, B.J. She says that she has witnesses who saw Bennington
leave the hotel. However, the reader knows that Bennington has not
slept with B.J. and Holly never gives her a chance to explain
herself. The subject is dropped, leaving the reader hanging.
Bennington then starts working at a brothel. One night at work,
she suddenly decides to quit and walks out of the brothel in the
middle of her shift. Then a few months later, Bennington just as
suddenly starts working at another brothel because her new
boyfriend would like her to get a well-paying job.
Besides the fragmented plot, "Going Down" also contains many
other incongruities. Bennington is supposed to be a college
student, but she rarely goes to class. After her roommate, Andre,
robs his gay lover, Bennington decides that he is too immature. She
moves out of the apartment that day, but not without maturely
taking some stolen CDs that Andre has given her. Later in the
novel, our heroine decides to see a therapist, not because she is a
prostitute, but because she has punched an elderly woman on the
subway.
Although these incongruities make for humorous and interesting
reading, it creates a very disconnected feeling. It keeps the
reader intrigued, because it bounces from one circumstance to
another, but it leaves the reader feeling scattered. The novel
becomes simply a sequence of shocking situations without a
purpose.
Belle’s narrative takes on a quality that is similar to the
disjointed plot. The novel is written in first person which allows
it to jump from one random thought to an even more random thought.
Because of this, the narrative does not flow smoothly. However,
since it is in first person, Bennington makes many sarcastic
remarks that actually create humorous moments in the novel.
"Going Down" contains many witty observations that make it an
entertaining novel. The reader is constantly amused and intrigued
by the oddities that have just occurred. However, the book’s lack
of development and its incongruities make the plot as superficial
as last Sunday’s movie of the week.
BOOK: "Going Down" is Jennifer Belle’s first novel. It is
available through Riverhead Books for $12.
The Berkeley Publishing Group
"Going Down" is Jennifer Belle’s debut novel about a college
student who becomes a call girl to pay for tuition.
"Going Down" moves quickly and is, on the surface,
entertaining.