Beauty Story

The link between the three main parts of Beauty Story is Alison MacAteer, a woman we first meet when she is a young, feisty would-be paparazzi journalist, harassing the Beautiful People, as they attend premieres and parties, in search of the perfect photo-opportunity. Later, as a totally ruthless and embittered fashion-hack who takes no prisoners with her acidic writing, she is faced with a personal tragedy which leaves her both emotionally and physically scarred, and leads the reader into the final section of the book; Alison faces her own demons, while completing her last assignment. Jenning's enviable talent for descriptive prose takes the reader into the soul of the breathtaking setting for the cosmetics commercial where the final drama is played out, cleverly interweaving a past, long-forgotten mystery with the present day tragedies of characters whose lives are inextricably bound with the way that they look.

Without the intelligent touches of dramatic irony which bring the whole story sharply into perspective, Beauty Story would still be a compelling and enjoyable novel. With it, though, what we have is a seductive, irresistible portrayal of a group of people who live as if permanently performing in front of a camera, never quite understanding that, eventually, the end credits have to roll.--Susan Harrison

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