Evelyn "Evie" Kilbride has always been the quiet friend, a shy girl who never had much to say, happy to wait in the wings as her best friend Kelly, the loud, confident one, takes the spotlight or their new friend, the beautiful Claire gets all of the attention. In the summer of 2010, the three friends take a holiday by the beach on the sunny south east coast of Ireland. Lately, things between Evie and Kelly haven’t been feeling the same way that they used to, and when she meets Jude, a wild boy with startlingly good looks and an American accent, everything starts to unravel. She may not realise it now, but the things that happen this summer will leave a permanent mark on her life. Evie will look back on this summer and remember it forever.
Lucky Girl is a story about love and friendship, and the decisions we make in our youth, the people we meet that can change the course of our lives forever, and the vividness and potency of a time when life is full of longing and excitement, summers are endless and filled with intensity.
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I can relate to the opening of Evie's conversation with Dean. I can't begin to count the number of times leading up to a conversation with someone, all these things I was going to say, only to have it all evaporate almost as soon as they start talking. Dean like so many men doesn't understand the word 'no' when it comes out of a woman's mouth. It's as if that word suddenly sounds foreign and they can't work out the meaning. Walk Evie home when she really didn't want him to and then Dean drops the conspiracy theory on her.??♀️
But Evie doesn't get a pass here either. The confrontation about the block was unnecessary. If he was a friend, especially a close friend, I could see talking about it. But the way he acts and treats her why worry? Good riddance to him, he's just not worth the time, even more so if he takes Marnie's word about what Evie said. At this point Marnie's toxicity is like a shining beacon.
Evie did make a good call passing on Marnie's offer of the X and an even better one by forgetting all about that drink she handed to her. I'd say it's almost guaranteed to have been spiked. That would be a very Marnie thing to do to Evie. Marnie would love to see Evie get messed up so she could even more fun watching Evie disintegrate. She clearly loves to look down on Evie, and anytime she can put her into a bad spot she takes advantage of it.
I wonder if there is a subconscious reason that Evie tends to gravitate towards not just toxic people but rich people, or at least comfortably wealthy? If it is there how much is subtle jealousy and how much is aspiration? Dean's comment about Evie being rich and/or posh really put it in focus. Claire is her friend and provides Evie with a way to make it possible to afford living in Dublin and attending Uni. But what other motivation could Evie have to continue hanging around Marnie who so obviously doesn't really care about her?
Thank you all for your comments! I have a lot of catching up to do after being away!
@Velvet_Lilies I know! Same here, which is such a shame because looking back there's no reason for you to feel like that, it's just all in your head. It's a shame that it can be so hard to enjoy yourself when you're that age.
She can never resist being a little bit overdressed! She always looks slightly out of place wherever she is, and I guess that's because she feels that way about herself. It is a cute dress! She wears it in 2.3 too, only it's light blue in that chapter. HAHA yeah Stephen was rightly traumatizing - I'm not over him either, for some reason he still makes me shudder.
omg imagine it was Liam. I can't imagine Liam working in a place like that, it's so not his scene. I still debate on whether I'll bring him back and I'm really not sure. Maybe much later on in the story or something, but at this stage he feels like a relic of Evie's teenage past. I doubt she ever thinks about him anymore. Agreed 100% about Dean. The vibe is meant to be slightly off with him at all times, for reasons that will be revealed later so I'm happy you picked up on that. He's got this "I don't care about you" attitude about him, yet ignored her 'no', which is always a red flag. I think he could have paid for her bus instead if he was really worried, but there really is a vibe that he wants to see where she lives. She kind of fancies him now though which muddies her judgement.
Me too! Marnie is a cretin - and doesn't ever care about Evie when she's in vulnerable positions.
I agree with you about cities being dangerous at night. I've had times where I've been alone at night and felt very unsafe, and perhaps Dean's intentions were good, but I think that Evie's problem with him walking her home was the same as the problem she had with Stephen; she didn't want him to see where she lives, because it leaves her a bit open and vulnerable. Like I said to Velvet Lilies above, I think if he was really concerned about her he might have bought her a bus ticket, since money seemed to be the issue. Him bringing her home is a direct contradiction of her wishes, whether or not he thinks her choices are safe or wise are kind of secondary to that, I think.
Haha! The Mayan calendar thing is one of the main things I remember from 2012, I seem to remember everybody talking about it. I was on a bus on the day the world was supposed to end, and it broke down inexplicably and there was this real anxious murmur around that somehow this signaled the beginning of the end. It was so comical, looking back. That's a very interesting point about Dean's strong opinions, I suppose you're probably right, and equally, his experience and his age probably makes him feel a little bit superior to the others in his college classes and more willing to say outlandish things as the risk of being confronted about them is probably lower.
Thanks for giving your two cents! Always appreciated.
agreed! Writing this story has actually made me realize how often people disrespected my 'no' when i was a teenager and young adult. Especially when you're on the quieter side, people tend to make decisions for you and think that they're being helpful, when actually, like in this scenario with Dean he's just going against her direct wishes. There are other ways he could have been helpful there that didn't involve him walking her home. She wasn't comfortable with him seeing where she lives, and he disrespected her completely. Evie is actually no safer with Dean than she would be with a random man on the street, they don't know each other well enough for him to be accompanying her alone at night. He should have paid for her bus ticket.
Haha fair enough re: the blocking. Following on from the previous chapter, I wanted this to be a moment where Evie's insecurities about being 'forgotten' by people to just seep out of her. Not cool to confront anyone about that, but she just couldn't handle another person essentially deleting her from their life.
Ulysses is kind of just a ridiculous thing to name an Irish child, in my opinion. Considering how famous Joyce's work is here, and how Ulysses has become this pillar of high-brow literacy, it seems very upper-class and snobby to call your child after it. I haven't read it. My parents have, and they have a copy of it in their house. Honestly I can't get through the first page, it makes me feel incredibly stupid haha.
Yes, I don't like this era for her. I always feel like she's just going along with the crowd and to me it's clear that she hates Marnie. Her thoughts get bad enough in later chapters that she actually feels bad for them, but it's sad to see how much she will endure. I feel like she doesn't even know how much she hates being out in these clubs yet, and sees them as places she should probably hang out in rather than asking herself what she'd rather be doing (Probably at home, in bed, watching TV.)
Yes! I'm the very same, you think you're going to give them hell and then you see them and everything you wanted to say seems to weak. Yeah Dean really sucks for this, not to give too much away about him yet, but he's for sure manipulating her. She's very vulnerable and he already knows how to twist her around his finger. I'm enjoying how much my forum commenters hate him already, by tumblr commenters inexplicably like him!
Yes you're so right - I think her confrontation was crossing a line, like, what's the big deal? Leave him be, but like I said to haneul, she can't handle being blocked out of another persons life. She needs to prove to herself that she's worthy, hence her crazed confrontation of him. I'd be so much better if she just moved on from all of this but she's very much trapped in a spiral here.
For all of the things she'll go along with, I just can't see Evie getting into drugs. I think even she knows better than that, and I think it was terrible that Marnie and Ulysses took them in front of her anyway, knowing that they'd be on a different plane to her all night and she'd be alone. Potentially, yeah, they might spike her just to trick her into joining them on their high, but I'm glad she walked away. Marnie has no respect for Evie, probably even less so than Kelly did, and it's not even personal this time. I don't think Marnie actually cares about anybody.
Interesting! I think I spoke to someone about this before but she certainly has the tendency to gravitate towards the outsiders. Like, Jude, the American. Fabiana, the vulnerable Venezuelan woman, Marnie, the quirky weirdo. She's very opposed to hanging out with people who would be considered "normal" like the people from her home town, or Claire and Shane's friends. I think it's that she feels like a misfit and yearns to find her crowd and feel accepted, not knowing that the discomfort and misalignment she feels is actually within herself. I think the wealth point is interesting too, like perhaps it represents her wish to be better than her working class background, to be different from her mother and the other women in her family. i think she enjoys the benefits and the luxuries she gets from being around these people. She kind of identifies as broke, but in reality isn't doing all that badly. She always has the new iphone too... just saying!
I think I'll just enjoy the story and not comment from now on. I seem to be way out of touch with the majority of the other readers. I still maintain that Dean really didn't do much wrong walking her home and with that, I'm going to bow out of commentating because this is about the fourth time in a row I have run counter to the prevailing narrative and I'm not a confrontational person so I'd rather not butt heads.
@Kellogg_J_Kellogg That's a pity, but I understand!
For what it's worth, I have enjoyed your comments a lot as they've often offered a unique viewpoint and allowed me, and I'm sure others too, to think about the material from a different perspective. Lucky Girl is a reflection of my own experiences as a girl who knew these places and this time very well. I bring my worldview to the table, but that doesn't make my opinions objectively correct. I think we've all had some really great discussions here, and I hope that even in moments of disagreement you've been able to view them as conversations and opportunities to step into another's shoes, as I have, rather than confrontations. Many of the points you've raised have been thought provoking and my absolute favorites to think about, so I hope you aren't coming away from this comment section feeling you were wrong for having the opinions that you do.
Thanks for being here while you were! It was lovely to have you :)
I'm just stepping away from the comments as I seem to be very out of synch with the other readers and I don't feel comfortable being in that situation unless I really have to stand my ground.
I'm still reading the story, still giving some of the guys a break and still thinking to myself "Nooooooooooooooooooooo!" in slow motion whenever I see Evie get herself into a situation that is out of her depth.
Sometimes, drunk people don't make the wisest decisions about their own safety, so at those times a bystander may have to go against their stated wishes.
Ideally it would be a good friend and not the rather disrespectful acquaintance, but in this case the good friend was not being such a good friend.
@mightysprite Good point. I agree, but honestly that didn't even cross my mind this time because Evie isn't drunk. I like reading everyone's comments because they’re unique and include perspectives I didn’t consider.
Ulysses is kind of just a ridiculous thing to name an Irish child, in my opinion. Considering how famous Joyce's work is here, and how Ulysses has become this pillar of high-brow literacy, it seems very upper-class and snobby to call your child after it. I haven't read it. My parents have, and they have a copy of it in their house. Honestly I can't get through the first page, it makes me feel incredibly stupid haha.
I don't have any interest in reading Ulysses. I had to read either about it or excerpts when I was in school. That's good enough for me for now. B) I don't think the books we read should be seen as proxies for intelligence, though. Different books are going to work for different people. Generally, people shouldn't be made to feel silly or stupid because they don't like certain books.
I feel like she doesn't even know how much she hates being out in these clubs yet, and sees them as places she should probably hang out in rather than asking herself what she'd rather be doing (Probably at home, in bed, watching TV.)
Yikes. That's too bad. I was quiet and never a girl that boys found pretty, but growing up I liked myself and avoided activities that didn't interest me. I tried new things, but I never did something to try to seem cool or fit in. I never even had the thought (except to keep things harmonious I did occasionally pretend not to know what I knew). I see now that I was a lucky girl because I had friends and got positive attention from my community, so I generally felt comfortable being myself.
"haneul;c-18234200" wrote: @mightysprite Good point. I agree, but honestly that didn't even cross my mind this time because Evie isn't drunk. I like reading everyone's comments because they’re unique and include perspectives I didn’t consider.
I’m a quiet reader and I rarely share my thoughts in story threads for reasons I don’t need to get into right now. I can appreciate these stories for what they are. ❤️
That said, I do find it interesting to read the various comments on here regarding the latest chapter and I thought I’d share the two aul pebbles that I just found in the pockets of my ehr…Paleolithic Caveman Pants.
Here’s my reaction to Dean’s actions:
Glad he walked with her, given that there’s plenty of urban monsters out there that are “just messin”…Dean dude, you probably could have handled this differently, but you’re alright in my book. At least for now. ?
Because seriously…what are the alternatives?
I'm no stranger to the big European party city nightlife scene myself and this includes a considerable amount of clubbing in Dublin when I was in my early to mid twenties. I like to think this happened only 5 days ago, but…nope.?
Note that I’m looking at this from a male’s perspective. I've been the “security escort” to plenty of female friends and acquaintances in both big and small cities and none of them ever complained. No strings attached by the way, just in case people are wondering.
I will try to keep my nonsense brief, even though I’m able to look into the future and already noticed that I failed miserably:
New Years Eve = Party hardy. Young folks in Ireland particularly, party hardy long before the stroke of the midnight hour. (This could happen on any given day TBH…) Dublin = Streets full of Aggressive Loud Drunk Ghouls & absolutely Rotten folks. It’s the truth. Been there done that. (Hey, I’m one of the good guys).
Evie arrives at the scene seen from a dude’s POV:
Who’s that? A pretty woman, very young too, quite petite looking, all by her lonesome self? She’s wearing some kind of mini dress it seems. Lovely legs. Is she drunk? She moves a bit wibbly wobbly on those platform sandals. Or is she just cold? Where are her friends? Wait, is that a pizza sticking out of a bin, Wah?
A predator will watch the girl and could decide to "casually" follow her around. Predators can come in packs too. They’re mean and aggressive and it’s quite possible that they’re not going to remember anything the next day. These folks don’t care whether or not a girl is drunk. NOT drunk does NOT equal NO safety concerns. Never has. The drunk part isn’t important right now. The Creepazoid Collective has already decided that Evie is an easy target. She’s prey. I’m not here to fear monger by the way. This is dark reality. It is infuriating, yes, but it is also the truth. We always have to think one step ahead.
A decent guy who’s also a realist, will be able to THINK like a predator, that doesn’t mean he is one. He’ll watch the weirdo(s) watch the girl…or - knowing right well that the creeps are out at events like this - he may approach the girl and offer ways to get her to a safe location. Why? Because he’s a decent guy and he genuinely wants to make sure she’s safe. There’s nothing wrong with that…except, how would she know if he’s decent or not? It’s a conundrum.
I can easily recognize both sides of the argument. No woman should take nonsense from anybody. No man, no woman, nobody. But this isn’t about whether or not to trust a teenage girl when she says “No, I’m independent .” It doesn’t always have to be so personal, it’s about the bigger picture. A man can simply feel responsible for the safety of someone who’s both younger and physically more vulnerable than him. Does that make him a misogynist? Of course not. He happens to be a male. In general men are physically stronger than women. It's part of a male’s biological make-up. This is why men sometimes insist on protecting women. It’s not because they don’t respect or trust women to be able to fight for themselves, it’s because they don’t trust MEN to fight fairly if ever a fight occurs. It's sad that there's nasty people in the world and that's not going to change any time soon. It is extremely discouraging to see that some groups in society can’t feel safe on this planet.
Anyways, this is how I would’ve handled the situation:
Happy New Year Evie, and congrats, you’re officially an adult now, yet you're a teenage girl. Where are your friends? Clubbin’? In that case, please call someone that you trust to collect you. Mom, dad, the eccentric aunt? No one there to collect you, no? Right…
Let’s hail a taxi if there’s one in the vicinity. I’ll pay, no worries. Ah..no luck with a Taxi cause they’re too busy around this time, sure sure….poor thing yer freezin’.
Let me buy you a night bus ticket! Not only that, I’d actually accompany you on that bus Evie. “What?! Why, Captain Freako? I’m independent !” I know you are and that’s great ‘n all.…but… it’s New Years Eve, Evie, that night bus could be full of drunk ‘n drug induced thugs and the Busdriver might not even realize. Lunatics will harass a lady like yerself. Not only that, the bus probably won’t stop EXACTLY in front of your house, so you will still need to walk a bit. Pro Lunatics could get off that bus and follow you home. Man, now EVERYONE will know where you live. Not just me. Not that it matters, its 2012 now, the world will end in 3, 2 ( that was a joke).
Alright so, this bus is full. Darn it. Let me walk you as close to home as possible. Do you want a piggyback ride? Ok maybe that’s taking things too far, although if you’re able to endure my atrocious sense of humor for another 20 minutes we’ll be grand and we’ve officially survived 2012.
Now, in a best case scenario the dude is genuinely concerned, in a worst case scenario he’s a manipulative opportunist.
Sad thing is, you just won’t know unless you’re more familiar with a person. It’s either: go back to your “friend” Marnie at the Club ( maybe that would have been the best after all) ; walk home alone and be at great risk of catching a cold and other evil related stuff ; or let Slim Shady escort you home and be at great risk of catching a cold and be at medium (most likely small) risk of getting involved in evil related stuff, or, my favorite option: let’s go wild and steal a shopping trolley. That very last bit was also a joke. I'd never encourage people to steal shopping trolleys. It's illegal.
Yes sometimes I make a silly joke, but situations like that are no joke whatsoever and should be taken seriously IRL. I think Evie should enroll in a self -defense course and carry a gallon of pepper spray in her hand bag. Even so, I’d still want to make sure she gets home without any problems.
As I said, in my opinion Dean could have done better, but he did OK. I take things at face value and I’m the kind of man who is inherently protective and gets hyper vigilant when he finds himself in these situations because..stuff. Very annoying.
At least Evie got home fine and all is well and apparently Dean’s HOT.
but it seems not to account for or downplays the actual threat of Dean. You guys are good people and you’re generally considering what you would do if you were Dean as opposed to what you would do if you were Evie. I don’t know why people don’t consider putting themselves in Evie’s shoes. Regardless of gender, we can view things from each character’s POV. If I were Dean, I would offer to walk her home too…
But from a woman’s POV, a lot of men who offer to walk women home are creeps. You can’t really tell by looking if someone is a predator, but one sign is that they don’t listen. So Dean’s not listening here is a yellow/red flag and creepy. He’s also already had a touchy incident with her. Given this, it’s completely reasonable that Evie would feel safer without him following her home. She's likely objecting because he seems creepy and is making her uncomfortable, not because she wants to be "independent." Women often feel safer by themselves because pushy acquaintances are dangerous. Statistically, they’re more dangerous than complete strangers (so having him walk her home is not only discounting her judgment, it’s also not safer). An acquaintance who doesn’t listen is a bad sign, but such an acquaintance is more likely to argue than go away if a woman candidly tells him he's making her uncomfortable--saying I'm fine/I'm independent/I can walk by myself tends to work better. Women also know, better than men, what it’s like to walk the street as a woman alone. Cat-calling is awful and the threat of being robbed isn’t great, but most strangers don’t have the bravery to approach and touch someone they don’t know, especially a pretty girl who looks rich (acquaintances can be brave in that way though because they can more easily manipulate the situation to their advantage and we’ve already seen shady behavior from Dean - like Dean could kiss her goodnight and if that turned out to be something she did not want Dean could create some plausible excuse). Most predatory strangers just talk. To guys, I would say that they can calm down about walking women home at night and stranger-danger, but they need to check their friends. It’s most helpful if men confront their male friends to confirm that they’ve never taken advantage of any situation because chances are that some dude in the friend group is operating on a substandard level.
I wanted to add the above because I think it’s being missed and this is being mostly framed as something petty regarding “independence” when it's never just strangers that are dangerous.
