Six Weeks to Toxic [Paperback]

Face it, we’re in the midst of a ChickLit epidemic. These are the signs: The central character is heading for her mid-30s; she works in film or journalism; she needs to get her life sorted (man, marriage, maybe a kid) and pronto. Parents are stereotypes-the phoney rich, the cosy suburbanites, the ex-hippies; a celebrity makes an appearance-this bit is mandatory. In magazine writer (Flare, Fashion) Louisa McCormack’s debut, there’s a twist. She throws the stresses of female friendship into the stew, as the challenges of being in one’s thirties split apart two close friends between New Year’s Day and Valentine’s.
Bess, our narrator, is a short, carrot-topped sound artist (she creates background noises like footsteps on Toronto film shoots); her friend Maxine (“Maxi”) is a tall, dark, well-off magazine journalist. She’s also a control freak, and we soon wonder why the self-deprecating Bess tiptoes around this creature. Loyalty, certainly; pity, maybe, perhaps even fear. Bess takes great care not to outshine Maxi. Since most of us have found ourselves lumbered with dreadful friends at one point or another, McCormack deserves full points for exploring this theme. She also writes with verve and originality about sex, a refreshing change amid the hangovers, bright chatter and partying endemic to the genreBess’s honesty and wit render her charming. Her post-millennium depression manifests itself as “[her] electron mood-denied access to a nucleus, incessantly peripheral, lone and stray and tiny.” This may be why the Bess-Maxi friendship has endured sixteen years; they have only each other. But deeper meanings are submerged amid the snap, crackle, and pop of McCormack’s prose. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes not, as when the two friends grind out their private college-era parodies of women’s magazines. Still, there’s something here, some mystery about female dynamics that will speak to young women.
Bess’s honesty and wit render her charming. Her post-millennium depression manifests itself as “[her] electron mood-denied access to a nucleus, incessantly peripheral, lone and stray and tiny.” This may be why the Bess-Maxi friendship has endured sixteen years; they have only each other. But deeper meanings are submerged amid the snap, crackle, and pop of McCormack’s prose. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes not, as when the two friends grind out their private college-era parodies of women’s magazines. Still, there’s something here, some mystery about female dynamics that will speak to young women.
Nancy Wigston (Books in Canada)
-- Books in Canada

“Breezy and compelling.” -- Flare magazine

“Six Weeks to Toxic insists it's a treatise on the complex character of female friendship and the writing, to be sure, is smart.” -- Vancouver Sun

“Six Weeks to Toxic is a sharp, sexy and witty read that delves into the female psyche.” -- Weekly Scoop

“Six Weeks to Toxic is …the thinking girl's chick-lit. McCormack is a quick and deft writer. -- The Globe and Mail

“Tales of relationship dilemmas, awkward parental visits and botched dinner parties are peppered with laugh-out-loud moments. Just right for a lazy afternoon.” -- WISH magazine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

LOUISA MCCORMACK writes regularly for Flare and FASHION. She was a host of “The Chatroom” on TalkTV, and has also contributed to CBC Newsworld and CBC Radio One. McCormack was born in Montreal, Quebec, and now lives in Toronto, Ontario.