Reinventing ELOISE
A sort of novel in 24 episodes
by Laurie Shiers
It’s 1983 and late bloomer Eloise Axelrod desperately wants to be an actress, because a) she’s dying for attention b) lives near Hollywood and c) being famous will prove that she’s worthy of being loved. The thing is, her sullen, overprotective father doesn’t approve of her career choice. He doesn’t approve of anything Eloise-related, really. What’s a twelve year-old girl to do but lie, cheat and almost steal (a bra) to make her dream come true? Maybe, if she were brave enough, she could also write about it.
Reinventing ELOISE is a coming-of-age story set in the era of Flashdance, the Sherman Oaks Galleria, and yes, Hot Dog on a Stick. Written in third person with a distinctly Eloise point of view, this playful, moody work of literary fiction reads like a cross between Judy Blume’s Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret and the inner most thoughts of a young Angela Chase from the TV series My So-called Life. The story unfolds over a tumultuous seven-month period from the tail-end of elementary school to the hormonal, angsty middle of seventh grade.
Here's an excerpt:
