Love, ’80s style

The decade of the ?80s brought with it totally rad music ? Prince, Rick Springfield, Duran… The decade of the ?80s brought with it totally rad music ? Prince, Rick Springfield, Duran Duran, Pat Benatar and The Cure, to name a few. Songs by the above artists and many others provide the soundtrack to Elise Juska’s debut novel, “Getting Over Jack Wagner.” A list of suggested tunes opens each chapter; the songs’ themes parallel each chapter’s theme.

After yet another failed relationship with a “rock star,” a disastrous blind date with a securities analyst and several life-altering announcements from some of the most important people in her life, protagonist Eliza embarks on a soul-searching journey. What follow are reflections back to her childhood and teenage years, when she was coping with her father’s abandonment of her family.

The abrupt flashbacks to her early years, occurring every other chapter, are a bit confusing at first, but in order for Eliza’s story to be told in its entirety, they have to be there. Knowing her past is key to understanding her present situation ? one failed “rock star” relationship after another, all ended for the most mundane reasons.

The term “rock star” is very loosely categorized. Some of her “rock star” conquests include a high school concert band saxophonist, an angst-ridden drummer sans a band and a nonexistent relationship with an upstairs neighbor whom she pretends is a world-renowned concert pianist.

As with most stereotyped groups, musicians aren’t always what they are supposed to be. They should be deep, brooding, tough men with a sensitive side that shines through here and there. What happens, then, when that wall crumbles down, only to reveal that the rock star in question is no more than your average Joe, who happens to be musically inclined? The answer is the end of Eliza’s time with him.

Musician/actor Jack Wagner is the foundation of her rock star obsession, and until she can get closure with her childhood crush, she can’t get closure on her real love life. Of course, the song that she muses over time and time again in the novel is Wagner’s “All I Need.” In reality, all Eliza needs is to realize that love is nothing like her favorite Wagner song.

The story is told in first person and is part autobiography, part fiction. Juska pens the story in a colorful fashion; lessons in pop culture, love and finding oneself are the core of the novel, with each lesson depending on the others to keep the book afloat. It’s a quick, painless read and, at times, it can be a bit predictable. The flashbacks to the ?80s really make “Getting Over Jack Wagner” worth the read, especially if you ever had a doll with Xavier Robert’s signature on its backside.