"Sex and Rage" by Eve Babitz

Following what seemed very much like an autobiographical take of a California surfer girls development in relation to love and career, "Sex and Rage" gives a unique and insightful view of Los Angeles through the 50's, 60's and 70's. Many of the sections pertain to a specific person in the narrator's life. We see as a young woman falls in love with the wrong people time and time again. She gives years to the man who won't leave his marriage, the man who is too self-engrossed to give of himself to another, and the assexual soulmate who has no qualms with verbally and emotionally cutting her down at every chance. In the second half of the book we begin to watch "Jacaranda" find her path. She extricates herself from a life that is destined to kill her, finally submits to the insistence of others that she needs to actively pursue achieving her potential and discovers what can give her lasting happiness. The story was compelling. The style was not as engaging for my taste. It felt like every opportunity to name drop was siezed, if only under alias. It was perhaps, a bit self-agrandzing for my liking. Especially considering the, some might call, "depths" this character so often finds herself. Instead of a tale of redemption, it felt more like humble bragadoccio. That's just my take but, consequently, I'm not going to seek out another work from this artist. Glad to have read it though.