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. When the attacks occur in January 1978, Pamela is simultaneously ambitious and repressed. She’s highly intelligent, successful, and organized; these qualities led to her being elected sorority president and are why her friends jokingly refer to her as “Pam Perfect.” Simultaneously, Pam is a people pleaser who worries too much about the feelings of others, especially men. Looking back on her compliant behavior during the police investigation, Pamela remarks with disgust, “This was how my brain was wired back then. This is how I almost went on to live” (40). Pamela is so concerned with conforming to norms and expectations that she’s engaged to a man she doesn’t really care for and initially plans to sacrifice her own career ambitions in order to accommodate him. She even hides her acceptance to Columbia Law School.

In the aftermath of the attack, Pamela experiences transformational change and growth. She realizes that systems and people who hold power aren’t necessarily competent or reliable, and she begins to rely more on her own instincts and judgments, even when other people challenge her. The experience of seeing that life can be cut short motivates Pamela to live with renewed purpose and authenticity. As she explains, “I have lived the last forty-three years with purpose, not in spite of what happened in the early-morning hours of January 15, 1978, but because of it” (352). Learning about The Defendant and the extent of the horrors he was able to commit makes Pamela much more aware of misogyny and systemic sexism. Her friendship with Tina is deeply transformative because Tina models to her how an independent and assertive woman can live her life, and she treats Pamela with genuine respect, encouraging Pamela to take herself seriously. Another transformational experience for Pamela is learning about the mysterious event in which she was abducted as a young child. This knowledge gives her a sense of peace and closure because she finally understands parts of her personality that had previously puzzled and troubled her: “This was the wellspring of shame—the feeling that I was different, that I was somehow wrong” (372).