Paint it Black

Janet Fitch

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grief and redemption

emotional turmoil

raw emotion and depth

depiction of madness and love

identity struggles

1980s los angeles setting

dynamic characters

lyrical writing style

suicide impact

dark

character driven literary novel

slow reflective pacing

friendship and betrayal

grim character realities

'Paint it Black' by Janet Fitch revolves around Josie, a young woman dealing with the death of her boyfriend Michael. Josie's journey through depression, self-doubt, and questions about love are portrayed with raw emotion and depth. The story delves into madness, love, darkness, and friendship in a unique LA setting, offering a thought-provoking narrative that explores the complexities of grief and redemption.

Characters:

The characters are well-developed, particularly Josie, whose struggles with grief and identity are central to the story, while the dynamic between her and Michael's mother adds depth to the narrative.

Writing/Prose:

The author employs a lyrical writing style, characterized by dark and vivid descriptions that evoke strong emotions, often reflecting the grim reality of the characters' circumstances.

Plot/Storyline:

The narrative centers on the impact of a young man's death by suicide, exploring the emotional turmoil experienced by his girlfriend and mother as they navigate grief and betrayal.

Setting:

The setting is 1980s Los Angeles, depicted vividly to enhance the gritty, dark themes of the story, and reflecting the characters' internal chaos.

Pacing:

The pacing of the novel is slow, often reflective, requiring readers to invest emotionally in the characters and their struggles.

Cold numbed the tip of Josie Tyrell’s nose and her ass, just outside the reach of the studio space heater. Her leg had fallen asleep. She twisted her slight torso, enough to release tension, but not e...

Notes:

The author of Paint It Black, Janet Fitch, is known for her detailed character development.

The book's subject matter revolves around the heavy themes of grief and loss following a young man's suicide.

The main character, Josie, is portrayed as a punk rock girl living in 1980s Los Angeles.

Readers find the depiction of Josie's depression and insecurities to be both relatable and exhausting.

Many comments suggest that the imagery in this novel is more mundane compared to Fitch's earlier work, White Oleander.

The relationship between Josie and Michael's mother, Meredith, serves as a significant part of the story, highlighting complex female dynamics.

Despite the heavy themes, the ending of Paint It Black offers a sense of redemption and hope.

Some readers appreciated the authentic depiction of dysfunctional characters and lifestyles in the narrative.

Fitch's writing has been described as lyrical and beautifully dark, capturing the gritty setting of 1980s LA.

While some readers found the book emotionally taxing, others saw it as a deep exploration of love and grief.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings for Paint It Black include discussions of suicide, mental health issues, depression, substance abuse, and emotional trauma.

From The Publisher:

Josie Tyrell, art model, runaway, and denizen of LA's rock scene finds a chance at real love with Michael Faraday, a Harvard dropout and son of a renowned pianist. But when she receives a call from the coroner, asking her to identify her lover's body, her bright dreams all turn to black.

As Josie struggles to understand Michael's death and to hold onto the world they shared, she is both attracted to and repelled by his pianist mother, Meredith, who blames Josie for her son's torment. Soon the two women are drawn into a twisted relationship that reflects equal parts distrust and blind need. With the luxurious prose and fever pitch intensity that are her hallmarks, Janet Fitch weaves a spellbinding tale of love, betrayal, and the possibility of transcendence.

"A dark, crooked beauty that fulfills all the promise of White Oleander and confirms that Janet Fitch is an artist of the very highest order."- Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Lushly written, dramatically plotted. . . Fitch's Los Angeles is so real it breathes."- Atlantic Monthly

"There is nothing less than a stellar sentence in this novel. Fitch's emotional honesty recalls the work of Joyce Carol Oates, her strychnine sentences the prose of Paula Fox."- Cleveland Plain Dealer

"A page-turning psychodrama. . . . Fitch's prose penetrates the inner lives of [her characters] with immediacy and bite."- Publishers Weekly

"Fitch wonderfully captures the abrasive appeal of punk music, the bohemian, sometimes squalid lifestyle, the performers, the drugs, the alienation. This is crackling fresh stuff you don't read every day."- USA Today

"In dysfunctional family narratives, Fitch is to fiction what Eugene O'Neill is to drama."- Chicago Sun-Times

"Riveting. . . . An uncommonly accomplished page-turner."- Elle

Ratings (3)

Incredible (1)
Liked It (1)
It Was OK (1)

Reader Stats (9):

Read It (3)
Want To Read (5)
Not Interested (1)

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