Bright Young Women

The novel’s protagonist, Pamela Schumacher, narrates most of the text. A successful and well-educated lawyer in her sixties, she specializes in mediation and works to protect women and children from abuse. Pamela is happily married and has a grown daughter. She’s focused, determined, and observant of the world around her, especially regarding injustices and popular culture; for example, when Pamela overhears a group of young women discussing a recent film portraying The Defendant and his crimes, she thinks, “I wanted to tell these girls that they were still being manipulated” (368). Although Pamela has achieved a sense of peace about the traumatic events of her past, she’s often still angry about the incompetence she witnessed. However, she has been able to find a balance between living her life to the fullest and keeping the memory of Denise (her friend who was killed in the sorority house attack) alive. Pamela reflects, “How many parties have I gone to over the years, and laughed, and had a good time while still managing to hold Denise close?” (372).

Because of the retrospective narration and the description of events that occurred in 1978 and 1979, the novel portrays Pamela experiencing significant growth and development as a character.