Cosmo is the film critic of the Sunday Times who was once also famous for being married to Julie Burchill. His journalism probably saved him from going mad, and he is good: he writes catchy, original, arresting prose with a full-on directness. It is addictive stuff, and in some ways Starstruck reads like a necklace of personal columns strung together into an overstretched book format.

For 45-plus years he learned to cope with his parents’ loudness and unpredictablity, always playing second fiddle to their self-absorption. His dad complains in a Wimpy bar that bad service from the waiter might tip him towards a nervous breakdown. Joke or not? It is difficult to tell. Jay has himself previously written two vanity-published memoirs and has tried to produce a film autobiopic. But he and Fran did have some interesting times and were successful. They were popular Americans in Britain precisely because they were clownish, available and high-octane. The weirdest side of their life was parenting.

Cosmo rightly protests that his parents were just like unruly children, always making scenes and always heard. This is a warm-hearted and extremely eccentric tribute to them. And of course they love the book: it puts them centre-stage. 

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