“Kids” is about the
Jenny, a shy girl dealing with the outrageous behavior of her fellow
camp-goers. It seems to be a broadside against the ideas about girls and women
put forth in popular culture. It also
has themes of religion and the varying degrees of hypocrisy of the people who follow
it.
I like the idea of
church camp being a marijuana-perfumed den of iniquity. It was not at all what I was expecting. I
liked Jenny’s brief moments of frigidity. Though her peers act outrageously,
she is a little insufferable, so her coldness and impersonal nature, demonstrated
when she is upset about losing the page of her book as Morgan weeps on her
shoulder. This makes her a more complex
character. “Kids” has an interesting message, which would be cool to see
developed more.
I had some difficulty
believing the characters. The main character is reserved, bookish, and
innocent, which of course is not a problem, but sometimes it seems like that’s all there is to her
character. When you incorporate faults into her character--such as her inability to understand or empathize with other people-- it works really well. Having those moments occur more often throughout the story could add more depth to her character. Likewise, the other camp-goers are just bad people. “Kids” seems to
be a condemnation of narrow concepts of femininity, which is really cool, but
as is the story seems maybe a little preachy. How has the Cosmopolitan culture
harmed the other girls? Do they feel doubt or self-hatred because of the
expectations of their peers? This might make them a little more likeable. Likewise,
is Jenny being unfair by judging the too harshly? Maybe the other girls are
just as unhappy as she is. Jenny’s interest in fiction confused me a little.
She thinks about books a great deal. Is this in reaction to the toxic camp
environment? Some of the mentions of books felt like they were meant to make us
think of her as intelligent and cultured, but felt a little artificial.
The
narrator seems rather passive. Maybe
have her actively pursue a goal;
sometimes it feels like the story is happening around her.
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