Another puzzle from Ali Smith. It is always so hard to say what her books are about underneath it all. Definitely the theme of bullying and exploitation in schools and universities - way ahead of its time in that respect: published 2005. Cellphones and the internet as tools for bullying. Exploitation of power for sex in institutions like universities. How institutions and people in power create false narratives to hide ugly realities and escape the need to act. Also, a look at the false masks we overlay on our lives to avoid unhappiness and confrontation. Maybe a theme of how children are oppressed and alienated in these false atmospheres were nothing is quite real?
The funny thing is, the catalyst for the stripping away of all of this falseness, is a very free, "in the moment" kind of person, but not particularly a nice person - in fact, rather self-involved and exploitative in her own way.
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