ShopgirlA Novella

Steve Martin peels back the glowing skin of LA to reveal the sadness beneath
Stories in which the taut, glowing skin of Los Angeles is peeled back to reveal the surreal inner workings of its upper class are always entertaining, and that's exactly where Steve Martin chose to set his debut novella. The story focuses on Mirabelle, a lost, lonely young woman who sells gloves at Neiman Marcus (which seems even more ridiculous and useless now than it did in 2000, when the book was published). Martin doesn't so much employ comedy in the story as much as he heaps a good deal of glittering irony on his Beverly Hills characters.

However, to use an old creative writing chestnut, Martin tells more about his characters than he shows. He describes Mirabelle's outfits and the gynecological grooming habits of her rival Lisa in great detail, but we never learn much about why Mirabelle is attracted to her much-older paramour, Ray Porter. Martin creates entertaining and amusing character sketches but it's difficult to feel emotionally invested in them. Shopgirl is enjoyable, but, like so many things in Beverly Hills, sometimes feels slight, superficial and a little sad. However, Martin's affection for his subjects and the cinematic setting make Shopgirl an entertaining book, and may even make listeners value their own lives, even ones set in the regular old real world.