Personality (edition 2004)

One evening in 1973, the nation sat down to watch its favourite talent show of the time. The name of the show was Opportunity Knocks, hosted by the odious (IMO) Hughie Green. Things weren't as savage then as they are now and there was at least some pretence of sympathy for the 'plucky' performers but, just as in similar shows today, the majority of them were pretty awful. As usual, there was a fair smattering of cack-handed jugglers, embarrassingly un-funny comedians and probably the odd singing dog act. (As a sideline here, one of the claims to fame of the show was that Su Pollard once came second to a singing dog which, to my mind, very nearly proved that there IS a god.)

All over Britain mums were washing the dishes, dads were checking their football pools and the kids were, more or less, keeping quite and hoping for an extra hour in front of the telly before bed. And then the next performer walked onto the stage. She looked like every other child singer before her: the curls, the nervous big smile. She struck a pose and waited for the introductory notes from the band. She was ten years old, her name was Lena Zavaroni and the voice that belted out the first lines of Ma, He's Making Eyes at Me, was by Shirley Bassey out of Ethel Merman. The rest, as they say, was history.

I was one of those people sitting in front of the TV that night; seventeen at the time and far too 'cool' to be particularly impressed by this little girl but over the years that followed, every now and then, another newspaper came up with another headline about the 'tragic child star' as her life, through adulation, press intrusion and, ultimately, her death from anorexia, became the warning for every mother who longs to put her daughter on the stage.

Andrew O'Hagan's 'Personality' is not about Lena, as the disclaimer at the beginning makes clear, but the similarities to her life are too close to be coincidence. Like Lena, the book's 'heroine', Maria is born on the Isle of Bute in Scotland and wins Opportunity Knocks a record 7 times before going on to a solo career that takes her from variety to theatre tours to her own TV show. Many of the other stars Lena meets are real people too - O'Hagan just puts words into their mouths.

This is a beautifully written book about the pitfalls of fame and the dark and lonely road that leads to anorexia. All the characters, major and minor, are complete and have their own stories, many of which could easily fill another book themselves. I was utterly charmed throughout and couldn't put the book down. It is also a great tribute to Lena despite not claiming to be biographical, giving a very real insight into the world of show business. Perhaps it is even fitting that a life most of us only knew from stories in the papers should be commemorated by a work of fiction. leaving Lena the privacy she could so rarely enjoy in her lifetime. ( )

What to make of book whose protagonist isn’t the most interesting character? That’s the situation in Andrew O’Hagan’s Personality. The novel is primarily about the stress of fame on Maria, a child singer, as she grows out of a quiet childhood on a small island in Scotland to a demanding adulthood in London.

From the first chapter, which documents a body washing up on a beach during WWII, you know that the book is going to be about more than just Maria. It delves into the history of Scotland and the treatment of its Italian immigrants during the war (they were assumed to be Nazi sympathizers), the loss of a child, distrust, hidden family secrets and a whole bunch of other stuff before it even gets to Maria’s story.

At times during the early chapters, there is a “get to the story” feeling, but once the story comes it ends up being one of the less interesting of the book. Maria’s story of going from one show to another, dropping her family from her life, and struggling with anorexia and depression never changes. It simply serves as a weak backbone for stronger secondary stories.

What saves the book, and makes it one of the better novels I’ve read this year, is O’Hagan’s writing. His write with detail without getting bogged down. He accomplishes this by changing perspective and style. Everyone seems to have a say in their own short chapter or two. Styles include traditional narrative, newspaper clippings, TV interviews, and letters. The result is a very enjoyable book about not so enjoyable subjects. ( )