4 out of 4 stars
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Playing Hurt by Gerald L Nardella is a relatable and starkly realistic narrative about high school drama and social pressures in the 1960s. It follows two teenagers, Brian and Deanie, as they navigate the trials of their senior year. There's a heavy emphasis on sex, as it pertains to adolescents who are just starting to understand the subject. The most remarkable thing about Playing Hurt, though, is its down-to-earth depictions of the conflicting pressures in both boys' and girls' lives regarding sex and relationships.
Despite the reputation of female characters written by male authors being shallow caricatures, I was able to see myself in Deanie and her friends. Their attitudes towards sex and relationships are defined by the twin pressures of their parents to stay abstinent until marriage and the ever-present pressure from their male peers to have sex with them. This dichotomy is handled stunningly well, with no navel-gazing about how the world is unfair and attitudes should be different. These things just are.
Brian's character was, arguably, more impressive. Toxic masculinity is so rarely addressed in media, and Brian buys into it full force; its harmful side effects hit him hard, particularly towards the end of the novel. It was amazing how well Nardella portrayed the ways that seeing women as property can damage men, ranging from jealousy and self-esteem issues to outright violence. This was quite eye-opening to me, as I hadn't often considered how our culture's gender expectations can harm men, too.
Both Brian and Deanie are victims of peer pressure, which plays out in a myriad of forms. There's a side plot about their high school's rivalry with another school, Brian's friend Dick engages in criminal behavior, and Deanie's ex-boyfriend Bill threatens and even assaults her. These events serve to keep the narrative moving, but they never come at the expense of clarity or character development, and Nardella does an excellent job of staying focused on the overarching issues of sexuality, misogyny, and toxic masculinity that he set out to tackle.
The writing style of Playing Hurt is straightforward and clean, with enough description to give readers a sense of the characters and environment, but not enough to bog down the story. It's a quick read, at 116 pages, and I found it shockingly compelling for its length. For these reasons, I rate it 4 out of 4 stars. It's not a happy story, so those looking for a light romance set in the 1960s should look elsewhere. I'd recommend Playing Hurt to those who enjoy in character-driven narratives that focus on the heavy themes I outlined above, and I can see it being of particular interest to anyone looking to better understand the confusion towards sexuality felt by adolescents. It's a gem of a story, and remarkably moving.
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Playing Hurt
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