Spin: A Novel [Paperback]

Catherine McKenzie (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 7, 2012

“At once comic, heart-breaking, and life-affirming.”
—Tish Cohen, author of Town House

“Imagine if Bridget Jones fell into a million little pieces, flew over the cuckoo’s nest, and befriended Lindsay Lohan along the way, and you are beginning to grasp the literary roller coaster ride that is Catherine McKenzie’s Spin.”
—Leah McLaren, author of The Continuity Girl

How far would you go to get what you wanted?  That’s the question author Catherine McKenzie addresses in Spin—a delectable debut novel that takes readers into the connected worlds of pop culture, tabloid journalism, and celebrity rehab. The story of a newbie undercover gossip reporter who follows a troubled starlet into a rehab clinic intending to dig up all the dirt she possibly can, Spin is smart, hip, utterly engaging contemporary fiction in the vein of Jennifer Weiner and Emily Giffin.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

When Katie Sanford blows an interview for her dream job as a music journalist by showing up drunk, the magazine gives her a surprising second offer. If she enters rehab and spies on a fallen starlet for a tell-all article, she’ll get another chance. But what starts as an unusual gig soon leads Katie into some surprising friendships, an attraction to a kindly but distant celebrity manager, and painful insights about her troubled family life and her long-denied alcoholism. While the ending is obvious from the first page, McKenzie endows what could have been a formulaic, tired plot with finely drawn characters, broad humor, and a sweet and satisfying romance between equals. Her descriptions of rehab are as candid as they are sympathetic. She laughs with her characters at the pain, frustration, and, at times, absurdity of the recovery process, which here includes a stint on a trapeze, without laughing at the misery and destructive behavior that bring people to treatment. Her relentless positivity is contagious. She is a writer to watch. --JoSelle Vanderhooft

Review

“A compelling, fast-paced read.” (Globe and Mail (Toronto) )

“In Kate Sandford, Catherine McKenzie has created a 21st century Bridget Jones—dark and delicate, broken yet strong. SPIN is all at once comic, heart-breaking, and life-affirming.” (Tish Cohen, author of Inside Out Girl and Town House )

“Spin is a fresh, sassy and compelling novel delivered with pitch-perfect humor. McKenzie’s light touch with a serious topic will have readers cheering for Katie as she proves people can change.” (Holly Kennedy, author of The Penny Tree, The Silver Compass and The Tin Box )

“Imagine if Bridget Jones fell into a million little pieces, flew over the cuckoo’s nest, and befriended Lindsay Lohan along the way....” (Leah McLaren, Globe and Mail columnist, author of The Continuity Girl )

“With Spin, Catherine McKenzie taps into both the ridiculous and sublime elements of the world her characters inhabit, and, more importantly, points out how those are often exactly the same. A thoroughly engaging debut.” (David Sprague, music journalist, contributor to Variety, Village Voice, and Rolling Stone )

“[A] charming debut...With fresh, fast-paced storytelling and a personable, self-deprecating protagonist, McKenzie whirls a perfectly indulgent tale.” (Publishers Weekly on SPIN )

“[McKenzie] is a writer to watch.” (Booklist on SPIN )

“Catherine McKenzie, in her debut novel, ably invites the reader into the story... For readers who enjoy a light, breezy love story, this book clips along well and satisfies. Many will likely find this book enjoyable and a worthy debut effort by Catherine McKenzie.” (New York Journal of Books )

“McKenzie’s tale of girls gone wild and gone to rehab is ripped straight from the latest tabloid headlines and will keep readers intrigued to the very last page.” (RT Book Reviews (top pick) )

“The characters are easily imagined and well thought out.... Making her U.S. debut, Canadian author McKenzie introduces a modern literary heroine who will remind readers of Sophie Kinsella’s “Shopaholic” protagonist: flawed but compelling....compulsively readable. ” (Library Journal on SPIN )

“McKenzie’s deliciously tart sense of humor and her tough yet tender heroine are as refreshing as a perfectly mixed mimosa.” (Chicago Tribune on SPIN )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Original edition (February 7, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780062115355
• ISBN-13: 978-0062115355
• ASIN: 0062115359
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #542,797 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A graduate of McGill University in History and Law, Catherine practises law in Montreal, where she was born and raised. An avid skier and runner, Catherine's novels, SPIN, ARRANGED and FORGOTTEN, are international bestsellers. Her fourth novel, HIDDEN, will be released in June, 2013. And if you want to know how she has time to do all that, the answer is: robots.

Visit her online at www.catherinemckenzie.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/catherinemckenzieauthor, and on Twitter at @cemckenzie1.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling, wickedly funny read! March 20, 2012

By Holly A. Gilliatt

Format:Paperback

I loved the premise of the book as soon as I read the blurb, and this novel exceeded my expectations. Catherine McKenzie is a very talented writer that deftly accomplished three things: kept me compulsively turning the pages, made me laugh out loud more times than I could keep track of and tugged at my heart, too. Loved all the music intertwined into the story (and cool playlist at the end of the book). Highly recommend if you enjoy biting humor and a compelling storyline. I look forward to her next release this summer!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Kept me turning pages . . . August 7, 2010

By Kathryn Magendie VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

What a fun read! It's not that there isn't angst and deep or serious issues threaded in and out of SPIN, but more that the author didn't weigh the novel down with those "issues," instead opting to keep the tone light, which I appreciated. I rooted for the MC, Kate - who self-denies her way into a hole, that is, until circumstances force her to face up to that denial and dig her way out, dirtied and spitting.

The beginning pages of SPIN show an immature and careless Kate, one who doesn't seem to want to grow up. All Kate wants is to "land her dream job" - but she even sabotages that, just as she does her relationships, and her friendships. When her "self-sabotage" leads her, in a strange kind of backward way, back to her dream job, she jumps at the chance--even if that means a little lying (or a lot of lying) and a little pretending (or a lot of pretending!) and losing respect and friendships . . . little does Kate know the tables will turn and she will find out things about herself while searching to find out the "scoop" on an unsuspecting celebrity.

Humorous, fun, at times intense, witty, charming, and poignant, SPIN kept me turning the pages.

There were times I asked, "Hmmm, could this really happen? I'm not so sure . . ." but then I thought, "Who cares?" for if the author makes me believe in her world, then I believe. I was willing to follow wherever Kate (and Mckenzie) led me. At the end of the book, I had a big ole grin plastered -- although, I did hate to say goodbye to these characters I grew to care about and enjoy spending time with.

One other caveat: It's a shame this book isn't available in the states - I had to order through Amazon Canada - the shipping costs were almost as high as the cost of the book - I can see where this could deter sales, and, again, that would be a shame.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved it! January 29, 2012

By Areesa VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Wow, dead-on portrayal of the thoughts of a girl wavering between "am I or am I not an alcoholic". Once I started reading this book last night, I was unable to put it down. I spent a lazy Sunday reading it until I was finished. Now, I'm sad to see it go.

Katie is quirky, free spirited and lost in the world that she has always known. After showing up drunk to her dream job interview, she takes an offer from the same company to go to rehab to follow a celebrity diva and get the inside scoop on her life. But Katie gets so much more than she bargains for.

Catherine, the author, really did her research on this one. Her portrayal of rehab seems logical. I have never been there myself, but have known others who have and I'd say there is quite a bit of truth in what she writes. She takes a quirky spin on it, and really develops Katie's character down to the way she thinks about whether she is an alcoholic, and the way she acts in regards to it. Katie has this conflicting dialog playing in her head, the way a person does when they are trying to justify their actions to make it fall in their favor, in this case, a person without a drinking problem. There is a lot of emphasis on this aspect, which really makes this book work. I love the lingo that Katie uses, and Catherine develops her character so well, that I knew what Katie was going to do next. Catherine's knowledge of AA was very evident in this book, and she covers it well.

I thought the ending was a little cliché, but the book was great! I absolutely loved how she wrote what goes on in Katie's mind, and she focused on her personality traits that run right along an addicts personality traits. That is what kept me enthralled in this book from beginning to end. I highly recommend this little gem!