Getting Over Jack Wagner - Softcover

Juska, Elise

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0743464672 ISBN 13: 9780743464673

Publisher: Gallery Books, 2003

Synopsis

Where are all the real rock stars?
Eliza is looking to date a rock star -- though she uses the term loosely. None of her boyfriends have been famous. Most have unbearable habits and overbearing mothers. A few only played show tunes. Still, they're intense. Pierced. Tragically stubbled. With a predilection for dressing in black. Eliza finds them deep -- in theory, anyway. But in reality, none comes close to the object of her original rock-star crush: actor/crooner Jack Wagner. When her latest catch turns out be another mama's boy, Eliza begins to realize love is nothing like her favorite '80s song.

Is she ready to face the music?
Just as Eliza is planning her next move, she's dealt an emotional triple-whammy involving her sister, her best friend, and a horrific blind date. That's when she realizes that only by taking a good look at her past -- and her tape collection -- will she ever be able to hear a different kind of song and live a different kind of life.

About this title

Synopsis:

In this wonderful debut, Eliza, a woman in her late twenties has spent her life trying to find a deep, passionate relationship and has been consistently disappointed. A child of the 80's, she assumes early in life that rock stars are the answer to a deep boyfriend. (Of course, she uses the term 'rock stars' loosely since none of her boyfriends are actually stars nor have they all played rock.) The story begins with Eliza being disappointed again by her newest boyfriend (the bass guitarist) and frustrated by her day job writing copy for the too-cheery travel agency, Dreams Come True. After a disastrous blind date, the shocking news of her best friend's engagement, and her sister and brother-in-law's pregnancy announcement at the monthly family dinner, Eliza is emotionally overwhelmed. Retreating to her apartment, she goes into hibernation for two weeks and seeks comfort in John Cusack movies, forbidden food, and Leroy, her fair-weather cat. With the help of her mother and her friends, Eliza revaluates her aspirations for love in life.

In the end, she realizes that in her search for a 'deep' relationship, she has lost sight of herself and that, once realized, is much easier to find.

About the Author:

Elise Juska's short stories have appeared in many magazines, including The Hudson Review, Harvard Review, Salmagundi, Black Warrior Review, Calyx, and The Seattle Review. She teaches fiction writing at The New School in New York City and The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Her first novel, Getting Over Jack Wagner, is available from Downtown Press. Visit the author's website: www.elisejuska.com.

About this edition

• Publisher: Gallery Books
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0743464672
• ISBN 13: 9780743464673
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304