Early Review: The Intern

The Intern

-          Dillion Khan

Publisher: UK – Puffin - Released 4th April 2012 

Review Copy from Puffin

When Jay Merchant lands an internship for the best job in music television, he is given a backstage pass to the biggest gig of his life. The velvet rope to the biggest VIP parties and hottest celebrities has been lifted and now he's got to capture it on camera. But with only six months to turn his intern dream into a real job, does he have what it takes? It's time to face the music...

If I had to sum up The Intern in three words – fast, fun and frantic! Set in 2000, Jay joins the London office of The Beat – the hippest music channel (think MTV) as an intern for six months, hoping desperate that he will be given the elusive full time position at the end. And so he gets swept up in a whirlwind lifestyle of music videos, celebrity parties and late nights, while the rest of his life starts to fall apart.

I have to admit I loved the peak into the behind the scenes life of music celebrities and parties (I like a good headline as much as the next person!) and it did feel very realistic. It was easy to see that Dillion Khan was pulling on his years of experience at MTV. It was an eye opening experience! The writing was immersive and gave a strong portrayal of the politics and hard work behind the music. However by the end I was finding the partying a little repetitive but Jay was an appealing character that I wanted to see how it ended. I could certainly sympathise with him not wanting to return to unemployment

Each chapter is named after a song and I’m almost ashamed to admit that I didn’t recognise enough of them! Overall, this is a fun light read that gives an intriguing peak into the back room of early 21^st century music industry.

Recommended for fans of Danny Wallace and Dave Gorman. 7 out of 10

And if that hasn't convinced you - check out this book trailer!