by Jeannette Angell reviewed by Shelby Brand.
****
An insight into the world of a modern day prostitute. Jeannette Angell (2004) creates a detailed picture for the reader, making reference to the rules in which were followed in order to survive, and escape her secret world of choices.
For the majority of us, we've had times where we didn't know how far we could make our money stretch, living as frugally as possible and our minds considering alternative ways to create money flow - the evolution of the 'side-hustle'. (On a side note, in 2019, Michelle Delgado explored the concept and dated it back to the early 1900's.) For Angell, who was already a part of the 'world of academia' and struggling to make ends meet (via a short course in bad partnership choices), changed my pre-conceived notion of who could become a prostitute. If you're a naïve creature like me, your exposure to this world began and ended with the classic movie of 1990 - Pretty Woman. However, even then, once Julia Roberts' character undergoes her transformation, to look at her dressed in elaborate clothing, you would never assume her to be a prostitute. So could Angell be a modern day 'pretty woman'?
She makes the distinction early on between that of a 'callgirl' and that of a 'hooker' which assists visualisations of the characters and successfully justifies her life choices. With Peach as her madam, Jen learns of 'horror-stories' from fellow industry workers and it's not until she connects her 'secret life' to her 'daily life' through the creation of a college course underpinning the history of prostitution across the ages, does she fully find out how one can impact the other. Protecting her 'day job' remained at the top of her priorities.
A scintillating read that is a little risque, Callgirl Confessions of a Double Life will leave you turning page after page, wondering what could possibly happen next?
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