Review of Shinan Govani's Boldface Names

A New Novel by the National Post's Resident Gossip Columnist

Sep 11, 2009
Andree Lachapelle

Shinan Govani - Photo by Nathalie Atkinson

Celebrity snoop Shinan Govani takes readers on a fun romp through the glitzy world of stars and socialites as seen through the eyes of his alter ego, Ravi.

In Boldface Names, social columnist Shinan Govani (The Scene) leaves celebrity gossip behind to focus on fiction. Or does he?

Juicy Gossip

The National Post reporter's new novel, Boldface Names, addresses the same topics that the journalist has addressed many times in his column: fame, fashion, celebrity, and the peculiar concerns of the very rich and surgically enhanced.

Gossip fans and those addicted to Hello, People Magazine, and – dare I say it? – TMZ.com, will be delighted by Ravi's adventures, and Canucks will happily try to spot all the references to famous and not-so-famous Beautiful Canadians.

Celebrities and star-wannabes will probably want to pick up Boldface Names just to see if they're in it!

Name-dropping abounds; parties are aplenty; there's a bon mot in every sentence; and the book's pages are filled with tender morsels of innuendo worth Googling just to see if the rumours are true.

The Social Scene

Full of himself but oddly endearing – certainly not without charm – Shinan Govani (or is it Ravi?) is not afraid to mix his metaphors, and boldly go where no gossip columnist has gone before.

What we have is a fierce social satire filled with cultural references, the kind that many pop culture vultures eat for breakfast – but in this case the reader may end up feeling overly full.

Imagine Diablo Cody on acid, or Perez Hilton on ecstasy. For all his cynicism and witty repartee, Govani is a gentler sort than his more famous (or infamous) counterpart: Ravi does not bitterly attack his social targets but instead, pokes gentle fun at fading stars and Twilight-reading socialites, leaving it up to the readers to draw their own nasty conclusions and fill in the blanks:

"She was a wisp of a thing with a ghostly pallor and a crisp, crimson line of a mouth. She had written many books but never a grocery list," Ravi tells us of the legendary Lady Ivory. (Boldface Names, page 11.)

Famous Last Names

Can you spot all the celebrities making appearances under different names? This book has great potential for party trivia, or as a fun drinking game. Take a sip of champagne every time someone gets a goodie bag. Or every time someone takes a sip of champagne!

Boldface Names is very much like the ab-fab parties mentioned page after page: the star-struck masses will be titillated, while some of us will be happy to enjoy a juicy tidbit or two, before moving on… And those in the know will be sure not to miss it: this book about gossip is a lot of fun, and bound to generate a lot of gossip!