Victim

We meet Javier Perez when he is a young boy scraping by in the Bronx. He recently witnessed his hustling drug dealing father gunned down in Puerto Rico. His persevering mother, inspired by the doctors who employ her, pushes Javi to excel in school and make something of himself. Living amidst gang activity, it is no surprise when Javi’s best friend Gio heads in the wrong direction and is imprisoned. At the same time, Javi’s school counselor encourages him to write an essay to win a full scholarship and attend a prestigious university. Is the essay embellished? Well, maybe a little but Javi is a good writer and knows how to pull on those diverse heartstrings. When he arrives at college Javi is not prepared for the world he encounters. He finds himself immersed with a group of students fighting for justice, particularly for POC (people of color). Most notably, he has a huge crush on Anais, a privileged student whose father is Puerto Rican. Although she hasn’t faced adversity in her own life (and never learned Spanish) Anais identifies with this struggling menagerie of students that demand equality. Javi is their perfect mouthpiece. He looks the part and has the street cred to prove it. Javi worms his way into the student newspaper and skillfully elaborates the minority struggle on campus. He may not always write the whole truth but justifies his newfound victimhood as speaking for those who have no voice. The deeper he falls into this persona the less guilt Javi feels when he embellishes his stories to fit the narrative of the day. This satire brims with provocative characters, each woven into the elaborate charade Javi has orchestrated. Original and deeply compelling, Victim challenges readers with its thought-provoking narrative and leaves us with important questions it boldly raises. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐