Unpluggged

On the surface UNPLUGGED is the story of Dayna Clay, a 27-year-old big-time rock star who, after barely surviving a suicide attempt, flees her home, her fans, and her career to live under an assumed identity in the rough Badlands of South Dakota, where she finds peace, love, and a surprising capacity to heal. Below the surface, UNPLUGGED is a deeply-felt and seriously-considered story that will make you think, and feel, something on every page. Author McComas writes with remarkable insight, understanding, and authority from a female protagonist's perspective, something very few male authors (in my opinion) are able to do. McComas fully inhabits Dayna's bisexual female body as if he has lived there all his life. In addition, McComas writes about surviving childhood sexual abuse in a subtle yet truthful way, conveying the long-term, lasting pain without resorting to hysteria or hyperbole. For Dayna, as for so many survivors, what happened in the past just "is." Writing about music is, as they say, like trying to "dance about architecture." Music, by its nature, can't really be captured in words, yet McComas does a great job of ushering the reader into Dayna's inner life as a musician, and his description of her creative process allows you to "hear" the music on the page. For me, UNPLUGGED reaches its zenith in McComas' amazingly detailed descriptions of the harsh, unforgiving, spooky, yet strangely beautiful Badlands landscape-- a landscape that is at first ominous and impenetrable to Dayna, but that ultimately serves as both her biggest challenge and the source of her deepest strength. This is a book you may have missed when it was first published in 2002. Now is the time to go out and discover it for yourself. You won't be disappointed.

This is a strong, moving portrayal of a young woman who seems to "have it all," who sits at the doorstep of mega-star rock godess status. Not yet 30, Dayna Clay finds herself haunted by her own mind, driving her to attempt suicide. Her unlikely savior speaks to Clay's basic decency and caring nature. Then she does her best to escape, running away from her life, her friends, her stardom, toward no destination in particular. She meets the Badlands of South Dakaota and there she begins the real journey, one of self-discovery and rebirth.I loved the main character, a strong, independent bisexual woman, whose innate love of life of all kinds finally leads her to seek treatment and learn to once again love herself. McComas' vivid writing and insightful understanding take the reader on a wonderful roller-coaster ride of emotions. This book is a fulfilling read and a real page-turner.

Paul McComas' Unplugged tells of an aging rocker who decides to depart from the music world, setting out for parts unknown and ending up in South Dakota. Her search for solitude and healing may unexpectedly lead to a career she can't shake in this moving story.

This is an amazing story that's hard to describe. It's funny, and sexy, and shocking in places. (A word of warning -- parts of the story are very emotionally hard-hitting and will not be right for everyone.)The story starts with thousands of whipped-up music fans chanting for Danya Clay to deliver her smashing encore song. The story starts fast and keeps rolling. Anyone unsure about whether they'd like this book should just start with the first few pages. If that doesn't "click" with you then the book is not for you. I was hooked from the get-go, and many readers will probably discover the same feeling.One gets the sense that, at heart, the writer has genuine affection for his characters and for most people in general. This underlying good nature helps a lot when a scene turns dark or violent. The light of good nature can help show the darkness of evil -- the way a great song blends dissonance and harmony.Highly recommended.