Girl on Fire and Extended Adolescence

Date
2019
Authors
Hannam, Jessica
Supervisor
Bancroft, Andrew
Item type
Exegesis
Degree name
Master of Creative Writing
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Auckland University of Technology
Abstract

Life in Silicon Valley for 24-year-old commitment-phobe Tessa is a lot more work than play. Coming home to Hamilton, New Zealand for the first time in six years, Tessa plans to lay low for the holidays in the town where she’s known as one half of a notorious trouble-making duo: the Fire Starters. In an attempt to re-connect with her younger sister Ollie, Tessa attends a party and bumps into the last person on Earth she wanted to see: fellow fire starter, Nel. When Ollie gets a threatening text from a stranger, the fire starters join forces to confront their prime suspect, Willy the high school weed dealer turned meth king pin. Sneaking around and flirting with the law reignites dormant feelings between Tessa and Nel, and the girls quickly fall back into a heated romantic affair with one another. Unable to avoid the past for long, things blow up between the fire starters, so Nel turns to Ollie instead. Tessa discovers Nel is the mystery texter, tries to warn her sister, but is in for a fight when Ollie jumps to Nel’s defence. When Nel and Ollie’s revenge prank ends up with a meth lab on fire, Tessa risks her life to save her sister who’s trapped inside, while Nel escapes to save herself and her reputation. Tessa turns her back on the dangerous Nel for good, and returns to the big city with closure and a new found openness to life.

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Keywords
Queer , Extended adolescence , Quarter-life crisis , Growing up , Young adult , Comedy , Millennial , Coming of age , Film , Toxic relationship , Lesbian , Feminist
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