Discomania

by Jennifer Gibbons

Unknown Binding

About the author

One of The Silent Twins. Sister of June Alison Gibbons

Reviews

[Gabriela Della Corna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow what a fascinating artifact to stumble upon in a McNally Jackson on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

I had never heard of this book, nor the story of The Silent Twins (twin sisters June-Alison and Jennifer who grew up with such bad speech impediments that they could only understand each other and therefore became selectively mute towards everyone else—not what THIS book is about, but it was written by one of them!) but the cover and the premise of Discomania really caught my eye.

This was a strangely nostalgic experience — reading something clearly written by a teenager and so raw: unedited, all kinds of mismatched language and improper phrasing, and dialogue that oscillated between hyper real and “nobody would ever talk that way” — it felt like reading a long fictional diary entry I myself would’ve written as a kid for fun, subject matter aside, and it somehow was just extremely relatable.

I could just picture every time Jennifer plunked out the word “summarily” (consistently spelled “summarly”) on her typewriter and feeling so mature and grown up for using that big word over and over. It made me smile each time it popped up (which was a lot hahah).

One might have complaints about the depth of the story or the plot/resolution (also… she was 16? Let’s not be too harsh here) but it doesn’t change my overall enjoyment of this unique reading experience. And truthfully I could never predict where we’d be off to next and that kept me turning the pages. We also get two endings, very exciting!

Looking forward to digging deeper into the stories surrounding the sisters and Jennifer’s passing (may she rest in peace). Their tale only gets more fascinating the more I learn.

[Spike King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imperfect, brutal and spellbindingly captivating this is one of the top books I’ve read this year. Why is however hard to verbalise.

The pulsating teenage hormones carry through Gibbons’ prose propelling the narrative. Landing themselves in increasingly improbable and devastating scenarios, the characters are over and over again dragged through hell. Disco becoming associated with an infectious lethality.

Witnessing these characters submit themselves time and time again to the arena of the dance floor were some of the best moments for me. The way she describes the dance and the subsequent murderous frenzies evoked by the music was so out of left field and I loved it. Super raw, super unconventional and massively engaging.

I think she would have loved Ryu Murakami, some of the rampage scenes reminded me of In the Miso Soup and the narrative erraticism of Coin Locker Babies. She had me enthralled and I absolutely powered through this, even after trying to stall myself so as not to finish it in two days. I have a feeling this will be one I return to for a little hit of mania every once in a while.

[Ruth Hertrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

if you know anything about the “silent twins” you know these two sisters spent a great deal of time alone in their room, typing out stories they could only dream to experience. I appreciated that the publisher kept her typos and crazy grammar - it really felt like the book was plucked right off her desk and handed to the consumer. it’s definitely giving written by a teenager who hasn’t really experience many if any of the things described in the story. but it feels special to be able to hear her voice in this way, especially since she spent so many years silently to herself.

[Chantel]

1. How can I even rate a book written by a 16 year old?
2. What a fitting time I am reading this during the height of my Michael Jackson obsession. Yes, I too would go manic at the disco if Rock With You, Blame it on the Boogie etc... was banging on the speakers.
3. Need to know who Sean was written about.
4. I can't believe a 16 year old wrote this. I can believe a
16 year old wrote this.

[Egghead · Rating 5 out of 5]

discomania!
like kids rule o.k. meeting
teen tragedy songs