Five Little Bitches

''Five Little Bitches'' chronicles the intertwining lives of five young women, each of whom is plagued by her own unique demons, and all of whom are devoted to music, the punk-rock lifestyle, and an underground code of solidarity. The novel details each of the girls'' personal histories alongside the rise and fall of their band, Wet Leather. As the band progresses, the girls tour Canadian, American and European small towns and big cities, and all the alleys, gutters, back stages, vans, hotel rooms, highways and airways in between. The novel follows a generation of girls in revolt. As the girls are tested by their own habitual self-defeatist and self-destructive attitudes and behaviours, female bonding and rebellion is played out under extreme circumstances. At its heart, ''Five Little Bitches'' asks whether alternative music and youth culture can be an affective mode of subversion and empowerment. The story is a punk-rock travelogue from a psychologically-charged feminist perspective, exposing the external pressures and tribulations which slowly increase as an all-girl band achieves success in the male-dominated world of rock ''n'' roll. " ''Five Little Bitches'' is funny, outrageous and startlingly authentic. ... [McWhirter] delivers what any reader wants - a novel that is vibrantly alive, never dull." Prairie Fire "Told in the straight-ahead manner of 2007''s ''Dirtbags'', McWhirter delivers an in-your-face style to match the grit of her characters..." Quill & Quire