Justice for G

A Short Dark Superhero Romance

Fiction - Short Story/Novela
27 Pages
Reviewed on 09/25/2015
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Jennifer Fales is an award-winning author, freelance writer, and an east coast native who moved to Southern California back in 2004. She possesses an undying love for literature and a diverse background and perspective from having worn many professional hats over the decades, including those in the clothing and automotive industries, financials, and securities. She loves traveling, and people watching, and she considers herself a foodie and a wine enthusiast. From time to time she has also been known to sing somewhere other than the shower.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

A young girl, scarred for life from a brutal assault, thrown out of her home by a mother who no longer can stand to look at her – this girl now lives above the comic book store where she works. She hides her scarred face from the world with a hoodie and sneaks around in the shadows of the store doing inventory and trying to remain nameless, a mere shadow, a ghost. The girl’s name is G, short for Georgina, and the store owner, Jimmy, is just a little bit in love with her – in spite of her scarred face.

Determined to do right and help the girl emerge from her protective shell, Jimmy insists that G joins the rest of the staff, dressed in comic book characters, at a fundraiser event. G is presented with the costume of a superhero. She balks at the thought of going out in public, attending an event where there will be too many people in a small space. She gives in and reluctantly tries on the costume that was specifically designed for her. Once dressed, she feels like a whole new person. The old G continues to lurk behind the mask that covers the scarred half of her face, but a new G, a confident, fearless young woman, a real superhero emerges.

In Justice for G, Jennifer Fales excels in the art of storytelling. From the very first line, the powerful punch of dialogue and narrative lead the reader up the curve of excitement to a chilling climax where G meets her attacker face on, challenging herself with the conflict of standing her ground and defeating her fears, or becoming yet another victim. In creating the character of G, the author has implemented the unspoken fears of many other victims. She vividly explores the dual personality of the hidden victim and the victorious superhero evolving from a protective shell, a sanctuary in which the victim once hid from the world that abused her. This is a powerful story about one woman’s struggle to overcome evil and reclaim her life through her own ability to obtain justice. Well done.

Carol Coetzee

Justice for G by Jennifer Fales introduces Georgina, or G as she prefers to be known. Raped and mutilated when she was younger, she carries around the scars on her face as a constant reminder of her experience. People have not been kind to her because of her looks, bullying and humiliating her. Her mother kicked her out onto the streets as she could no longer stand to look at G's face. Arturo, an ex-convict, befriends G, and he teaches her to defend herself. Arturo also arranges for his cousin, Jimmy, the proprietor of a comic book store, to offer her a job and an apartment above the store. A promotional party is arranged and G is expected to attend, along with Devon and LaShonda, coworkers at the store. They all dress in comic book character costumes for the party. G is horrified at the thought of being in a large crowd, but nonetheless feels obligated to Jimmy. And so begins her journey to overcome fear.

Justice for G by Jennifer Fales is a poignant, lovely tale of courage and overcoming fear. A once beautiful young girl is raped, mutilated and cast aside by her family and society because of her damaged looks, and must learn to live again. Her life is difficult and she has to deal with the memories and the physical reminders of her ordeal every day. Scarred and emotionally damaged, she is unwilling to connect or interact with people. The story touches the heart of social prejudice against those who are physically disfigured. It delicately deals with the emotions experienced by victims of such prejudices. Fear, self protection, avoiding interaction with others, perceived dangerous situations and emotional withdrawal are all real, daily problems experienced by many victims of crime and abuse. An excellent short read of triumph.

Jack Magnus

Justice for G: A Short Dark Superhero Romance is a coming of age short story written by Jennifer Fales. G is not at all pleased with Jimmy's plan for the four of them to go to the benefit for the homeless being held at the firehouse. Even if she's in costume, she doesn't do crowds or people, generally. While she grudgingly approves of the Violette costume Jimmy has designed, she'd really rather be holding the fort at the comic book store while the others go. She hasn't even gotten close to recovering from the attack in the rape van, and each time she looks in the mirror at the mutilated side of her face, she's reminded all too vividly of her encounter with Kafka. Her mother and step-father were useless at helping her heal, and her mother had finally tossed her out into the streets rather than deal with it. Arturo at the meat processing plant had taught her how to defend herself and gotten her a job and home with Jimmy, but it will take all her courage and fortitude to agree to put herself out there, even in a mask.

Jennifer Fales' coming of age short story, Justice for G: A Short Dark Superhero Romance, drops the reader right into G's world, and a dark one it is. G is a sympathetic character whose injuries penetrate much more deeply than the surface of her skin. I loved reading about how Arturo, the ex-con and cousin of Jimmy, became her mentor and friend, building her confidence and getting the homeless young woman a job and home in the process. Jimmy, artist and owner of The Dweeb Dominion, helps the healing process along even as he works hard to get her to trust him. Fales' story got me intensely involved in G's world and mindset, and it did so in a lean, concise and very well-written short story format. Justice for G: A Short Dark Superhero Romance is highly recommended.