Down the Rabbit Hole Review

It's been an entire decade since the E! series The Girls Next Door first aired, and finally, finally Holly Madison has gifted us all with her tell-all/memoir. For those of you not in the know, Madison was one of the stars of a reality television show that followed the three "girlfriends" of certified gross-old-man and all-around creep, Hugh Hefner.  The show was a huge hit, especially, as Hefner boasted one episode, amongst young girls. (Gross.) Why were little girls tuning in to such a tawdry show?  As a once dedicated viewer of the series, I can tell you why.

With every episode, I was both mesmerized and repulsed. My eyes would grab up the gorgeous visions of leggy, lean young women, with their flawless makeup and impossible curves.  As an awkward teenager, I was fascinated by these swans.  I was also entranced by the personalities of two of the depicted women — Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt. They seemed smart, like me, but they also seemed in possession of secret information that I lacked.  They knew how to be smart and sexy and also bubbly.  I watched them raptly, hoping for some sort of transference to occur.

Then there was the disgusting old goat, Hugh Hefner.  The show tried to portray him as generously as possible, like he was some sort of kindly eccentric, but the wool wasn't pulled over my eyes.  I never faltered in my absolute certainty that both him and the whole situation were wack.  So many times, especially when watching Holly and Bridget's talking head clips, I wanted to reach inside their minds and understand why.  Now, Holly Madison has told us, in her and her collaborator's own words, and I couldn't be more gleeful with the results.

Madison really slings the mud in Down the Rabbit Hole, and after years of watching her repression and denial on my television, it's almost as much of a victory for me as it is for her.  She slams Hefner repeatedly, and every time it brought me joy.  She also explains, with great thoroughness, her mindset and situation leading to her decision to bind herself to a perverted grandpa, and now I finally understand, although I can never accept.

Although many parts of this book brought me delight, there were other moments that elicited disgust and even horror.  I had to take a minute to regroup after reading about Madison's first trip to Hefner's bedroom.  Even weeks after reading, the memory causes me to shudder.  Thankfully, not too much time was spent going over the specifics of the nasty stuff.  Madison and her collaborator were able to impart the darkness of the situation without getting too exhibitionistic.

Another aspect of the book that I liked was the impeccably selected epigraphs that heralded each chapter.  They were all taken from Lewis Carroll novels, and I found many of them to be quite moving.  Alluding to Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass may not have seemed like an original choice at first, but I quickly came to appreciate how the theme bolstered Madison's message — how she started out fairly childlike and overpowered by forces larger than herself, but gradually came to realize the absurdity and hypocrisy of her environment, and was then able to rise above what had previously overwhelmed her.  It was beautifully done.

That's not to say Down the Rabbit Hole was flawless. There were weak points to the book, certainly.  Madison relates many petty cat-fights throughout the memoir, some relevant and others not.  After a while, I began to see a pattern of Madison explaining how she was in the right in every situation.  These moments where Madison lapses in her self-awareness were the least compelling moments of the book.  Another example is how Madison insists that after leaving her geriatric boyfriend and his world, she wanted to cut all ties.  Yet, she was repeatedly sucked back into Playboy events, appearances, and drama.  I would have appreciated more words on that inconsistency than were written.

So, as an old fan of Madison, it was fun to brush of the dust and re-enter her world.  I can't see how any fan of the woman would be displeased by her book.  As for people who blissfully bypassed the Playboy resurgence of the 90's and early 00's, this book still might draw you in.  I'd say, if the blurb catches your interest, give the book a try.  Overall, I give Down the Rabbit Hole four stars and declare it a job well done.