Party girl

Comment:

” With a fluid and engaging style, the novel tackles issues that are crucial for teenage readers: mechanisms of grooming and child prostitution, personal growth, discovery of one’s identity, weight of social judgment, value of friendship, and collective responsibility in the education of the younger generation. The female characters are more complex and multifaceted, starting with the protagonist, whose passion for acting plays a central role in the novel and becomes a symbol of rebirth and self-determination. Aleksandra’s journey is described with sensitivity, particularly in terms of her difficulties communicating with the adult world and the emotional fragility typical of adolescence. Those elements encourage young readers to strongly identify with her. Her friend Mendy also undergoes a significant and realistic evolution: introduced into prostitution at an early age, she initially appears to be a ‘conscious’ victim, as she tends to justify and normalize the system of exploitation that oppresses her. Despite this, her friendship with Aleksandra allows her to find the strength to ask for help and report the abuse, offering a glimmer of hope and resistance. The adult world is represented in an ambivalent way: on one hand, Aleksandra’s family seeks sincere communication with her; on the other one, figures such as Ruben and the clients of her prostitution ring emerge, adult men united by their use of physical and psychological violence against underage girls. Ruben, in particular, embodies psychological manipulation and the isolation of the victim, becoming an effective symbol of a patriarchal and oppressive power system. However, the male characters that are closest to Aleksandra are less successful in their narrative development. Giona, who at the end of the novel becomes the protagonist’s boyfriend and actively participates in the complaint against Ruben, is initially introduced as an ambiguous figure, whose behavior borders on verbal violence masked by irony. This type of representation is close to relational dynamics rooted in patriarchal culture, based on emotional ambiguity and the normalization of abuse. The character’s abrupt transition from ambiguous figure to decisive ally in the second part of the novel is somewhat inconsistent and risks compromising the strength of the overall message, precisely because it does not completely undermine the toxic imagery initially evoked. Overall, the novel stands out for its ability to deal with complex issues with sensitivity and clarity, offering important food for thought for a young audience, while leaving some room for improvement in the creation of male characters. “