The novel, After January, deals with some of the important issues for young adults in Australia in ways to which they can easily relate. Some issues that are raised include social acceptance, broken families, choices about the future and independence. The novel talks about the main character, Alex, and how he is waiting for his school results to see if he is going to get into university. It gets a bit more complicated when he meets a girl called Fortuna and they end up in a relationship that sees Alex postponing his trip back home to the city.
             Two of the issues that the novel deals with that can be linked are the pressure of social acceptance and also self-respect. On one hand we see Fortuna, who seems very confident, wears what she wants and doesn't worry what others think of her, yet she still comes across as attractive to Alex. On the other hand there's Alex, who sees himself as less than perfect and is always worrying that people see him as a bit of a loser. Alex is a pessimist who always sees the worst in a situation even when it comes to Fortuna when they first meet. The text seems to deal with the high number of Australians who are just like that and are always striving to be better than they are and never get there. It also shows the how wide of the mark people are in this idea, as Fortuna seems to believe that Alex is fine just as he is and in the end she helps him to gain that self-respect he needs.
             A second issue that is raised deals with families that are broken up through divorce and other factors. The text seems to speak to the thousands of other adolescents who have had to grow up in a house with only one parent and it shows to the reader the effect that it has had on Alex and how he sees his parents' divorce. It also shows the contrast between Alex's family and Fortuna's family, who are very close with both parents still together and happy.
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