Daisy Jones and The Six

Sunday. One thing I said I wanted to do today but realised I couldn't.

Float in a warm, sunlit swimming pool looking up at a cloudless sky, maybe with a cool drink on hand.

In fairness, I did that last weekend, and the one before, and the one before that, but we can still dream.

This time I'll have to put up with sunshine and a clear blue sky, reading a novel. Life is still good.

The novel is Daisy Jones and the Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

I'm a bit of a sucker for 'band on the road' type books, enjoying Jennifer Egan's A visit from the Goon Squad, Sylvia Patterson's I'm not with the band, Mick Farren's Give the Anarchist a Cigarette. Similarly with some of the movies - Almost Famous, and that slightly undercooked Roadies series (I'd have watched a sequel).

The current book is slightly experimental. Not to the level of Egan's novel, but this one uses a kind of interview style, more like one of the old magazines of the 70's era being described.

Each section starts with about 500 words of italicised intro, then jumps into an interview format. I wouldn't want to read too many books like this, but it works well for this particular unfolding story.

There's some feel-good generic positioning at the start. It's hardly spoiler because it also gets referenced in the cover flaps. Teenager goes to Sunset Strip. Meets fledgling rock band. Starts writing songs. Appears on stage with band doing a cover. Yikes, it could almost be A Star Is Born?

What makes it interesting are the hooks being built into the narrative. There's going to be sparks, tension, romance and heartache as well as the rock-n-roll from the band.

Yes, and I can tell it will be Access All Areas.