Ellie Kotsolis has reached the ripe old age of 21 and has
never been ... Sex should have happened, with her first and
only boyfriend at seventeen, but because of personal
grooming, it turned out to be a complete and utter disaster.
She has been trying ever since to rid herself of that pesky
condition, to no avail; there just aren't any takers.
She's
good-looking enough, but rather clueless and naïve. No one
pays her any attention, and the few who do are, of course,
entirely undesirable. She tells herself that maybe she
should not be so choosy, that someone decent enough will do,
but she's trying so hard, she makes matters worse. She's the
only girl her age who is still a virgin.
The last
humiliating straw is when, upon seeing the university
doctor, she sees the six frightfully glowing green letters
on the computer screen: VIRGIN. Ellie's in her last year at
university, her dissertation is due shortly, and although
she intends to pursue a career as a writer and sends résumés
for internships to magazines, all her energies are focused
on losing her virginity.
She has a falling out with her long-time best friend, Lara,
who has had more than enough with her obsession with her
virginity, her selfishness, her self-centredness. It doesn't
take too long before Ellie sees the error of her ways, but
she is too proud to ask for forgiveness. Instead, she
becomes much closer to Emma, who kicks her in the behind,
tells her to stop moping, inspires her, doesn't judge her,
and tells her to go out there and just do it. Ellie tries
out her new-found confidence at a party, strikes up a
conversation with some guy who seems as alone as she is; she
has nothing to lose. They have a pleasant time and he wants
to see her again. Is Jack a boyfriend-to-be? Could she have
finally found the one?
Emma and Ellie decide to write an anonymous blog dedicated
to seldom discussed sexual issues, which could prevent
others from experiencing unnecessary embarrassment. While on
her quest to acquire practical notions, Ellie also explores
the world of intimate grooming, sex toys and porn movies.
VIRGIN will appeal to fans of Bridget Jones and other
British chick-lit. It's brash, sometimes coarse, funny and
sometimes zany; it's young and very much in tune with the
times. As well as being another side of society's obsession
with sexual matters, it's also a biting satire at how
trivial matters become blown out of proportion, and at how
the pursuit of happiness is shaped by what we see in the
media, whether we like it or not. It's also an interesting
look at friendship, becoming an adult and trying to be
comfortable with one's self. Surprisingly enough, the author
succeeds at what our fictional bloggers aim for: VIRGIN
could very well be helpful to some real-life virgins, or
anybody for that matter. I'm very much looking forward to
seeing where Ellie goes from there.