Buchtipp aus der Stadtbibliothek: «Hot wax»

In 1989, she’s a precocious 10-year-old living with her mother in Baltimore; her father is on the road pursuing fame and fortune with his band, Gil and the Kills. She works her way into an unpaid job helping out at a record store in the mall and is ready to roll when her mom remarries and leaves on a long honeymoon, sending her on tour with her dad and his band. In the second narrative, Suzanne is 41, trapped in a boring suburban life with a man named Rob. When she learns that her long-estranged father has died and left her his car and some memorabilia down in Florida, she’s once again more than ready to hit the road. Before long, she is part of a throuple with an itinerant pair who hunt and resell vintage clothing. With their Airstream attached to her father’s old Ranchero, they are on their way cross-country so Suzanne can talk to her dad’s widow – with a furious Rob hot on her trail. Ominous threats of violence in both time frames keep the pages turning to a double-barreled bloody climax.

Like a good song, Hot Wax hooks you in and makes you lose yourself, even if just for a few moments. It exemplifies the sweat, tears and blood that go into the creative process and may just spill over.

M. L. Rio. «Hot wax». Wildfire, 2025