Scream - A Memoir of Glamour and Dysfunction is a surprising memoir from Tama Janowitz, the quirky writer whose novel Slaves of New York (along with Jay McInerney's Bright Lights, Big City and Bret Easton Ellis' The Rules of Attraction) defined the literary scene in the early 1980's. Dubbed by the media as a literary brat-pack, Tama asserts the only thing they had in common were hip bestsellers it was thought no one would read.
I loved this book, as I have all of her other writing, so I'm recommending it right now. New York art scene - 1980's. Rubbing shoulders with the wealthy and the hangers on, and becoming good friends with Andy Warhol, she was on everyone's guest list. Handed designer clothing for Keith Haring to tag at an art opening, hanging out at Studio 54 - for a teenager in Canada reading about her in Interview magazine, she seemed to be at the centre of it. Looking back she says she didn't make that much money - the parties and free swag were great, but at the end of the night, you can't pay the rent on your tiny apartment in the meat packing district, which might have been an old freezer.
More surprising, she reveals her family growing up - a father whose affairs culminate in a girlfriend moving into the family house, with her mother the kids bumped out into a rundown cabin on the property. He is now a backwoods gun hoarder who makes visits difficult. After taking care of her ailing mother for years, she places her in a series of homes when her dementia becomes unbearable. For this she is attacked by her brother, a man who, along with his wife, treats Tama like a pariah. Worse, he instigates continuing legal proceedings against her whenever possible.When she tries to escape to the country, moving into a trailer with her daughter, it just gets worse.
It's rare to read such a frank memoir, filled with deadpan humour - and rare that I would read it over again right away, which I did. Recommended if you like Augusten Burroughs, dysfunctional families, dementia, New York in the 80's - totally enjoyable, surprising, mouth dropping, and irritating - in the best combination.
2016 / Hardcover / 285 pages
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