Seventeen year old Hilda is not a typical teenager. She and her best friend, Benji, are fascinated with death, specifically dead celebrities. They visit the areas of some of LA’s most notorious crime scenes and cemeteries, collecting mementos of death. When Hilda and Benji meet Hank, a reclusive old man living in an apartment where an actor stabbed himself to death, Hilda and Hank form an odd bond. Soon, Hilda is visiting Hank by herself, becoming fascinated in his world and the secrets he keeps. When Hilda meets Jake, Hank’s downstairs neighbor who just happens to be a good looking screenwriter, Hilda begins to questions her fascination in death. Is she missing out on life because of it? When Benji goes too far one night while trying to emulate John Belushi, Hilda finally gets another perspective on living life.
John Belushi is Dead, the debut novel by Kathy Charles, is an interesting YA contemporary novel. The characters are strong, and Charles writing is clearly fantastic. This is more of a dark and edgy novel, not supernatural at all, just digs into the unhappy cases of some real Hollywood murders (the OJ Simpson case, Charles Manson murders, etc). I liked the mystery that surrounds Hank’s character, and a possible love connection between Hilda and Jake adds another layer to the story. I didn’t hate this book, but didn’t quite love it either. I didn’t get as drawn into the plot as I would have liked, as interesting and different as it was. And a little forewarning: this book does contain multiple graphic scenes of murders and death, so if you don’t mesh well with those types of scenes, I wouldn’t recommend this specific title for you. But if you are looking for something on the opposite spectrum of chick lit, I would say check out John Belushi is Dead. There is a good life lesson to be learned from the young heroine.
Rating: 3.5.5
