Laurie Lonsdale’s “Wild Side”

By Vanessa Markov

If you work in the music industry and are female, “Wild Side” is sure to be interlaced with your most personal fantasies in the finest of details, whether you knew you had them beforehand or not. But even if you’re neither female nor heavily involved in music, you are still sure to be highly entertained by this intense tale of self discovery and toxic passion, all set in the hectic world of rock ‘n roll stardom. I not only laughed out loud several times or found my mouth gaping wide open during action-packed peaks, I also stopped rather frequently to ponder how some of the characters’ relationships and conflicts were relevant to my own unrelated experiences.

As “Wild Side” goes, we meet Kelly Carrington, a beautiful yet sheltered woman in her early thirties just at the point when her  personal and professional life simultaneously turn from nothing special into a shitstorm of confusion and betrayal. In a matter of days, she goes from being an obedient wife and daughter whose most risque quality is her job at a major music label, to touring with a famous rock band as a back-up singer and sexual protege of the band’s frontman, Shane Ryder. Cue the intertwining stories of several colourful characters including a violently vengeful fan and Kelly’s deranged and soon to be ex-husband, and her adventure takes off not a second too soon.

The book is Jackie Collins-esque in the sense that the storyline is uncommon, filled with glamour and unlikely events that most of us will surely never experience; but the difference between Lonsdale and Collins is that Collins writes to shock, thrill and satisfy with book after book of gloriously shallow Hollywood smut. Throughout my teenage years I read every Collins book there was, basking in her vivid descriptions of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll and living vicariously through her perfectly flawed, larger-than-life characters. By the time I was 18, Collins’ stories (fantastic writer that she is) became stale from the lack of truly emotional content, and quickly became a mere guilty pleasure as I upgraded to non-fiction and stayed there until now.

However, unlike Collins, Lonsdale is not an author I’d be embarrassed to enjoy as an adult. While “Wild Side” immediately reminded me of Collins’ work, the unfolding emotional battles the main character faced began to resonate within me, and by the fifth chapter I was completely hooked. It had been years since I was so invested in a story that I finished it in 24 hours, feeling mild separation anxiety whenever I had to put it down to tend to real life duties. Coincidentally, I hadn’t felt this connected to a story since I read Collins’ “Star” in one long, overnight sitting at the dreamy-eyed age of 17. The fact that Lonsdale spent as much time describing the inner turmoils associated with taking risks, perceiving opportunities, facing fears, and developing realistic relationships as she did developing a thoroughly exciting plot makes “Wild Side” as deeply inspiring as it is entertaining.

Another reason why I found “Wild Side” to be such a fantastic tale is the Lee Child-like accuracy in the descriptions and imagery; so accurate, in fact, that a disclaimer is included in the beginning of the book stating all events are fictional and that any consistencies with real life events are purely coincidental. Lonsdale was actively involved as a promoter in the music industry during the heavy metal boom in the mid-late 80s, the same time frame of the story, meaning that she was able to include details of her true experiences behind the scenes. The result, especially for anyone involved in the music industry like myself, leaves one feeling as though there just might be more truth to this story than there is fiction.

In terms of literary significance, Lonsdale is not an Irving or a King, but she sure as hell blows Collins’ best work (along with every Harlequin in existence) clear out of the water with her knack for infusing intensely realistic insight into female fantasy-driven fictions. In fact, I’d think that any woman who discovers Lonsdale’s work (she has a handful of other fictions that I intend to dive into the second this review is up) would be hard pressed to find an author of similar taste who can deliver quite like she can.

Want to win a free copy of “Wild Side”? Simply “like” our facebook page here and write “Take me to the Wild Side!” on our wall. Contest closes on Wednesday, February 29 at 11:59pm EST and the winner will be selected and announced at 12 noon on Thursday, March 1. We will also notify the winner via facebook.

“Wild Side” includes original lyrics written by Lonsdale, which were later developed into an original soundtrack and included with the book’s original release. From this soundtrack, Lonsdale generously offers HnG readers and listeners three free downloads:

Three Strikes – MP3
Phantom Lover – MP3
Turn the Page – MP3

For more information on Wild Side and to purchase it online, click here