Joy Majdalani. (Credit: JF Paga/ Grasset)
In Jessica Alone in a Room, a love triangle unfolds amidst contradictory female expectations, social media and enduring gender stereotypes. The story revolves around two young women in their twenties in Paris: Jessica, a seductive flirt, and Louise (nicknamed Petit Cœur), a well-bred intellectual, both in love with the same man, Justin.
The narrative delves into a powerful and destructive force — jealousy — that devastates the lives and mental landscapes of Louise and Jessica. Their inner dialogues reveal their most intense fantasies, with each woman becoming fascinated and obsessed with the other. Jessica is enraged by Louise’s natural charm and social ease in a world to which she will never have access. Louise, on the other hand, feels threatened by Jessica's provocative demeanor, which adheres to codes she neither understands nor approves of, even while acknowledging their allure and effectiveness.
One might recognize Jessica as a character from The Taste of Boys (Grasset, 2022), with continuity in themes like female seduction, awareness of this power, and its use over the years. "After writing about adolescence, I wanted to explore the twenties and examine this pivotal age," explains Majdalani in her light and cheerful voice. The author seems to have infused both of her female characters with aspects of herself. "I didn’t project myself onto either one; rather, I incorporated different facets into both Louise and Jessica. What I wanted to analyze is jealousy, a feeling I experience frequently. It is considered shameful and often hidden, but I believe it reveals a lot about who we are, whom we love, and what we want. This intense emotion provides valuable insights into our being and our relationship with the world," adds the young author.
The narrative performance of jealousy in Jessica Alone in a Room (Grasset) is remarkable, expressed through words, gestures, and devastating fantasies. "I wanted to show how an obsession invades a mental space, leading to an experience of possession that erases everything else," continues the author. Jessica's body, which she constantly scrutinizes, seems to transform according to the waves of jealousy she experiences.
"When she notices that her body has changed and she has gained weight, the idea is to show that her perception of her body is constantly changing. She is always treating it as either an all-powerful tool that could grant her anything in life or as a burden that needs constant polishing and disciplining, never good enough to be loved. Many young women are torn between these extremes; Jessica's body is never simply a support for her being," explains Majdalani. The skewed relationship with the body seems to correspond to a more general difficulty in positioning oneself relative to others. Each heroine, in her own style, tries to conform to different, internalized dictates.
"Louise embodies a certain educated bourgeoisie for whom academic and professional success is paramount. She is dismayed to find that this does not bring her happiness and peace. She wonders if she should place more importance on her appearance, a concern she has long considered superficial or even immoral," adds the writer, who resides in Antibes.
Where has #Metoo and sisterhood gone?
As the reader progresses through the book, one might wonder where #Metoo is in Jessica's attitude, who honestly embraces her flirtatious strategies. The devastating animosity between the two young women, who rely on male judgment to resolve their issues, does not quite fit the current climate of sisterhood.
"What interests me is the human soul, where jealousy, hatred, love, friendship, passion, and ambiguities are found. I am not against sisterhood in life, but it's just a tool. Here, we have two human beings whose relationship involves infinite nuances, from hatred to desire to love. They go through all this together; their relationship is intense and complex. The temptation of sisterhood is just one part of this spectrum, even though it doesn't come to Jessica's mind, as she is too self-centered," Majdalani laughs.
"When Louise mocks Jessica with her friend Maud, there is a resurgence of sisterhood because she feels guilty about mocking a woman who is too frivolous, even though she later considers it a form of feminism by advocating something other than the seductive posture for women," she adds.
Reading Jessica Alone in a Room (Grasset) makes it clear that the heroine is of Middle Eastern origin. "My readers of Arab descent perceive it. In the dynamics between Louise, Justin, and the group of friends with Jessica, there is a French bourgeois view of the inconsequential, artificial girls, who are not considered very smart. I address this class contempt, the racism inherent in the stereotype of the frivolous little Oriental. Jessica fascinates me; she has a grotesque and excessive dimension, but I have great affection for people who take aesthetics very seriously, and I wanted to give this character a true literary treatment," the author asserts with conviction.
What unites these young Parisians is that they are extremely unhappy. "They are searching for themselves and use each other to achieve what they imagine to be happiness. In the end, they have passed through their respective lives and barely touched each other because they lack the means. No relationship can save us from ourselves," concludes the young woman.
The opening scene of Jessica Alone in a Room depicts a young girl admiring her attire in front of a mirror, to the point of "envying herself." Perhaps her sentimental education throughout the novel will lead her to confront another, less gratifying mirror on social media — introspection.
