Every weekend, we delve into the British backlist and recommend a book for you.
This week, we revisit the experience of being young and in love — with an reachable pop star. This novel will feel very recognisable to anyone who spent a substantial part of their teens or pre-teens fantasising about a famous singer or actor. It’s funny, poignant, and so well-drawn. If you’re anything like me, there’s a concert scene in particular that is vivid and will stick in your mind long after you’ve turned the last page.
I Think I Love You, by Allison Pearson
“1974. Thirteen-year-old Petra and her best friend Sharon are desperate to win a competition to meet their teen idol.
Meanwhile Bill is unhappy in his job, ghostwriting the fanzine of the man so adored by the girls - and slightly unnerved by the extreme emotions of some of the fans.
Fast forward to 1998. Petra is pushing forty and on the brink of divorce. While cleaning out her mother’s wardrobe she finds a letter declaring her the winner of the competition she and Sharon had agonised over decades ago.
So, twenty-four years after entering the competition the girls claim their prize and are flown out for an all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas to meet their hero at last. Bill, now the magazine’s publisher, flies out with them…
Poignant, hilarious, joyful, profoundly moving and uplifting, I Think I Love You captures what we learn about love, life and friendship through the universal experience of worshipping a teen dream. It will resonate with readers everywhere.
Buy I Think I Love You at your local independent bookstore, on Amazon UK, Amazon US, or anywhere in the world, at a discount and postage-free, from BookDepository.com.
