The Only Girl in the Car by
Kathy Dobie
hbk out January 04
Published by Chatto & Windus
at £12.99
This is a beautifully-written, honest and compelling biography which
charts the author's small town childhood. Kathy grows up desperate to
please her overworked mother (who has given birth to six children) and
charismatic dad. She even considers becoming a saint. But as she moves
into her teens, she finds that pleasing the wilder local boys offers an
alternative way of being in the world.
At fifteen, she goes on a typical night out with her boyfriend and three
other boys. She thinks that Jimmy - a teenager on probation - loves her,
until he persuades her to have sex with everyone in the car.
Afterwards the neighbourhood girls alternately threaten and shun her and
her life changes markedly. But, courageous and motivated, she survives
and writes her way to a better life.
Though Kathy Dobie is an experienced magazine journalist, this is her
first book but the talent it showcases suggests she should write many
more.
The Only Girl in the Car by
Kathy Dobie
