Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This book is the engrossing story of the rise- and implosion- of the seventies band Daisy Jones and the Six. It was written so skillfully that I honestly thought it was nonfiction until about two thirds of the way through. I was actually about to look up some of their songs on Youtube when I saw the blurb on the back of the book jacket and realized the band doesn’t really exist.

Told in the band members’ “own words,” it’s written completely in the form of multiple interviews. Each band member (I can’t say “character” because the book feels so much like nonfiction to me) has his or her own separate version of events, the way things would be remembered by actual band members. Each person has their own stuff going on which blends into the band drama during its rise to fame and, ultimately, its ending.

There’s sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll, of course, but it’s much more than that. It tells the story of misunderstood love, learning who you are, hitting rock bottom and where to go from there, and choices. I was enthralled by the entire book, hanging on every word. I hoped for them, got angry when they did something stupid, and was filled with pity when life dumped on them.

This is the first book I’ve read by Reid, but I’m determined to read her others. If they’re half as good as this book, I’m in for a treat. Have you read this? What are your thoughts?