Inappropriation by Lexi Freiman

Inappropriation by Lexi Freiman

Ziggy is in Year Ten at a very prestigious Sydney private school and she doesn’t fit in. Still trying to work out her identity, she makes friends with a couple of schoolmates who are critical of everything and are exploring ideology through extreme feminist and queer lenses. Ziggy is torn by their and her own contradictions and is not helped by her ridiculous psychologist mother.

I struggled with this book a lot. I can’t think of a single likable character, not just likable but relatable. I felt that some of this may relate to personal experience – perhaps being a Year 10 in 2018 in wealthy Sydney is just too far beyond my own experience. However, I couldn’t tell if the book is taking the mickey out of ‘PC culture’ or if, by exploring it through the eyes of 15-year-old misfits shows the strengths and weaknesses in a different way.