#debut-novel

#debut-novel

Jean is, in the words of its author, a novel about "alienation, told from the inside out". Set at a reform school over the sweltering summer of 1976, the heat rises as Jean fights (and fucks) the other boys, conflict and desire coalescing until the novel reaches its conclusion: his decision to walk out of his life for good. Dunnigan explores the ethics of early sexual experiences, British class dynamics and the crushing weight of - particularly masculine - conformity.

In her debut novel, the Portland author follows Annie, clutching a plush caterpillar toy and ignoring a gash in her elbow, as she walks - walks! - in her inadequate Birkenstocks and ridiculous maternity romper through a hellish landscape. She treks all the way from the big Ikea out by the Portland airport to a school in Southeast Portland, where a fellow traveler searches for her daughter in the rubble.

The difference between writing fiction and nonfiction lies in the purpose behind the writing; fiction allows for more narrative freedom, while nonfiction is bound by truth.

Taking tips from a magazine, Girlfriend Weekly, which magically appears every so often bathed in light and accompanied by a cor anglais, Reality leans with alarmingly good cheer into the notion that the perfect girlfriend must be permanently ready to service every last whim.