Multi-Generational Love And Loss

Multi-Generational Love And Loss

Bruce Von Stiers

As much as Hollywood is known for glitz and glamor, it's known for its scandals. From casting couch stories to tales of bed hopping and extramarital affairs, Tinseltown has seen a lot. But back in the 1930's and for some time beyond, a particular proclivity was mostly hidden from the public eye. That is, same sex relationships. Although some of those celebrity relationships were hinted at, most were kept quiet and well away from fans and audiences.

There is a novel that uses that base historical element and builds a terrific story of love and loss across multiple generations. The title of the novel is Alterations. It was written by Kate Maruyama. Her short stories have been published in magazines and anthologies. Kate is also the author of the critically acclaimed novels The Collective, Bleak Houses and Harrowgate. She is currently a faculty member at Cal State L.A. and formerly an MFA faculty member at Antioch.

Adriana comes to Hollywood in 1937. She aspires to be an actress. But a chance meeting in a casting office moves Adriana in a whole different direction. Rose is a day player actress, trying for a role. When she sees the suit that Adriana had made for herself, Rose takes her to meet Edith Head. For those who aren't aware, Head was “the” costume designer in Hollywood, an eight-time Academy Award winner over the course of her career. As Adriana establishes a career under Head's tutelage, she becomes friends, then lovers with Rose. This relationship stays mostly in the shadows.

Lizzie is a young teenager. She is a budding graphic artist. Her world is ripped apart when both of her parents are killed in an accident. She thinks that her dad's brother Bart will take her in. But Bart dumps her at the great-grandmother's house. The great-grandmother has a nickname of Noona. It seems that Noona is actually Adriana. This part of the book takes place in 1998.

In the same period, there is Laura. She has moved from a production assistant level to become a director of development at an upstart film studio. But a cheating boyfriend and a chance of direction of the studio finds Laura heading out of Hollywood and going to Noona's home in Baltimore. Laura is the granddaughter of Noona and the cousin of Lizzie's mom, Becca.

Lizzie and Laura's stories intertwine in the novel. Lizzie is learning to cope without her parents and basically being abandoned by her uncle. Laura has her own brand of heartbreak and is trying to find her way in the world post Hollywood. Mixed into those two stories are Lizzie's uncle Bart, an aquarium manager named Jimmy, and a video store clerk named Tisha.

But the core of the novel surrounds Adriana. Her story includes being abandoned by her mother, having to live in an almost slave labor environment and finally escaping to Hollywood. Then there is the supposedly forbidden love she shared with Rose, a romantic infatuation with Barbara Stanwyck and being pursued by a lovelorn movie electrician. Adriana's story circles around both Laura and Lizzie's stories so that, by the end of the novel, you get a fairly complete picture of her life and times.

Alterations really is a great novel. It takes a kernel of actual Hollywood history and shapes a story of love that was not acceptable in Hollywood and an eventual loss of love and happiness. The novel also includes an element of tragedy and an element of someone starting over to build a terrific multi-generational tale of loss and love.

Alterations is available at major book retailers. It was published by Running Wild Press. Their website can be found at https://runningwildpublishing.com/

You can also learn more about the author of Alterations, Kate Maruyama, at https://www.katemaruyama.com/

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