Book Review – Girl Next Door by Alyssa Brugman
An Interesting Teen Novel About Friendships, Family and Possessions
Feb 1, 2009
Australian young adult author Alyssa Brugman’s novel Girl Next Door (Random House, 2009) is a topical look at the impact of the financial pressures many modern families are experiencing and how the value of relationships can become entangled with the value placed on possessions and status.
The Girl Next Door
Teenager Jenna-Belle had a life many other would envy with a large home, exclusive private school education and frequent overseas holidays.
When Jenna-Belle’s mother unexpectedly announces that she has to cut back on work hours because she is pregnant and her father’s great idea for a business empire falls flat, Jenna’s whole life is turned upside down. Her father abandons the family and her mother refuses to accept the reality of their situation, holding a series of garage sales to sell off their belongings, but refusing to remove Jenna and her brother Will from their expensive schools or sell their too-large home.
With the disappearance of her family’s wealth and status, Jenna discovers that many of her school friends no longer wish to know her. Not particularly close to her older brother and left to deal with her ruined life without the support and care of her parents, she turns to her best friend Declan as a confidante.
Eventually, Jenna-Belle, her parents and Will discover their true friends and find that all they have left of any value is each other. Without the shielding armour of their busyness and belongings, they must learn to accept their failings and focus on their strengths if they wish to restore their family.
A Family Experiencing Financial Hardship
In a scene unfortunately all too familiar in recent times, Jenna-Belle and her family offer an opportunity for teen readers to consider the impact of financial success or hardship on a family unit.
In addition to the obvious impact of losing their home and belongings, Jenna’s struggles lead her to re-evaluate many things about her life including her friendships. Her strong friendship with Declan contrasts sharply with the superficial friendship of the status-conscious girls at school. On reflection, Jenna is forced to admit that not only have the girls not been true friends, but their influence had caused her to treat others in a way of which she was not proud.
Bryce Cole, a temporary boarder with Jenna and her family, offers further insight into the choices and priorities people choose and the influence that a love of money and success can have on relationships and happiness. For Bryce Cole, it is a weakness for gambling and an inability to turn aside from the next “sure thing” that has led to his own financial ruin.
A Fun Engaging Read with Relevant Themes
Written in a first person narrative from the perspective of Jenna-Belle, Girl Next Door is a very enjoyable story. The novel is often humorous, despite the very significant struggles of Jenna and her family, and is enjoyable and easy to read. Jenna-Belle is a very likeable character and teens will find much in her attitude and priorities with which they can relate.
Alyssa Brugman is a talented author whose previous titles, such as Finding Grace and Walking Naked, have been shortlisted for awards in Australia and overseas. In Girl Next Door she offers teens an approachable and engaging story with relationships and themes to which they could easily identify.
Girl Next Door has a lot to offer readers who wish to think more deeply about the content. It would be ideal for classroom discussions about modern families, bullying, teen friendships and the impact of finances on family relationships. There is a brief reading guide at the end of the book with 10 questions to help readers to think further about the themes and characters presented in the story. Further teacher resources can be found at the Random House website.
Girl Next Door (ISBN: 978-1-74166-338-9, 280 pages)
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