Loose Girl - Kerry Cohen

In general I'm not a huge fan of memoir. They tend to meander into personal opinion and intricate detail of events I don't care about. Not so in this novel. Loose Girl - A memoir of promiscuity is the story of Kerry, the daughter of  divorced parents. Her mother leaves her and her sister to go to the Phillipines to get her doctorate depositing the two girls with their father, a self-involved 80's capitalist.
Kerry and her sister are left to their own devices. Kerry turns to men while her sister retreats into herself. Much of Kerry's adventures are scary. I read them now - a mother of two young daughters - wanting to stop her. At 14 she frequents New York City bars - one of which is the infamous location of the "Preppy Murder". In fact, Kerry knew Robert Chambers and Jennifer Levin and had seen them a few nights before her murder. She weaves this story and a myriad of others into her tales of searching for her next mate hoping to fill the void her parents have left behind.
Many of Kerry's conquests remain nameless but a few she hangs on to for longer periods of time. Leif, Eli and Heath are ships she returns to again and again giving us a glimmer of hope for this lost little girl. The story ties up somewhat neatly but I was left with the impression that Kerry's nature, her longing and search, may continue though she clearly hopes it doesn't. It was a very satisfying ending, not romanticized but realistic.
Any woman who sowed her wild oats at one period of time will appreciate this story while thanking her lucky stars these days are behind her.