A Total Waste of Makeup

A Total Waste of Makeup
By Kim Gruenenfelder

A Total Waste of Makeup seemed at first to be a total waste of reading time but the main character, Charlie, grew on me after awhile. I did have a hard time relating to the Hollywood/Southern California mindset and way of life. But Charlie speaks to women her age, no matter where in the country they live.

Charlie is about to turn thirty. She is still single. With no kids. And no likely prospects for either a husband or a family. She lives alone and has a very unusual but demanding job as a personal assistant to a movie star. What hurts most besides the looming date on the calendar is her younger sister's impending wedding.

I suppose it doesn't help that her sister has become bridezilla and their whole family is really crazy. Their parents are divorced, yet her father has moved back in with their mother who is also having an affair with a man Charlie's age. Did I mention the constant smoking of illegal substances?

What I found particularly poignant in this day and age is how the "dating scene" is for young women. The biggest issue is men who say they will call you and never do (all women know this "I'll call you" is code for "I don't want to ever see you again"). Yet, these smart women spend hours being available, waiting for that call and trying to figure out what they did wrong. In the mix of all this is whether or not to sleep with the guy or even when to sleep with the guy. The "I'll call you" seems to happen a lot after the woman has taken that intimate step.

What did this book have to do with my faith? On the surface, God seems pretty far away from these people and their rather random life style. Yet, despite their post-modern lifestyle, the women still seem to want a traditional future: husband, kids, home. The paths they are taking seem to lead them far from this type of future. Do they ever want God in their lives? Certainly, they need God in their lives. Will God be found if they continue in the direction they are going? I imagine God and religion will look a bit different for them, but it makes me want to write a sequel in which a spiritual friend begins a dialogue with them about faith.

I recommend A Total Waste of Makeup.

Happy reading!

Amelia