Isa Riaño, Advertisement Manager
With a novel full of mystery, Jonathan Hart sheds light on personal identity in high school and college students.
The novel opens in Castletown, with Dylan Mills, a college freshman at the time, sharing his experiences in the first person. It follows him from senior year of high school to college as he deals with challenges in his relationships, identity crises, and personal growth.
Since he was a teenager, Mills felt like he did not belong. In his town, most people were wealthy and made it a goal to attend “it” schools—reputable institutions that many parents encourage their kids to attend.
However, Mills came from a middle-class family and enrolled in North-South, an infamous college known as a “party” school where students constantly party and do drugs. Although Mills explains he does not enjoy parties at the beginning of the story, not making it to prestigious universities makes him feel like a failure. He is also frustrated that he does not have a driver’s license.
His feeling of being left out continued as he dated his girlfriend Rosemary Silversmith. Furthermore, Silversmith was going to an “it” school and criticized parties and smoking. Therefore, Mills felt like he was not good enough, especially when he compared himself to his girlfriend. However, Silversmith meant the world to Mills, and he affirmed he was the only good decision he had made in his life.
As Mills and his girlfriend decide to go to different colleges, they must separate. During his time in college, Mills values his independence; however, he also misses his girlfriend dearly, and sometimes he feels empty without her.
At first, Mills is scared to explore his potential and grow due to his inferiority complex; however, during his time in college, he meets the girls of the basketball team at a bar, joins a motorcycle club, and makes lifelong friends that encourage him to get out of his shell. Mills also starts singing at a club and having more fun at parties while being able to get decent grades and have good attendance in his college classes.
As freshman year of college goes by, Mills’ relationship fractures, as his girlfriend suddenly becomes standoffish. Later, Mills finds out that she is involved in a cheating scandal and is shocked when she mentions that her parents spent 50,000 dollars on a college consultant. Therefore, their relationship ends, and Mills starts to realize that he should not let a relationship define him.
Party School is a story that many college students may find relatable, especially freshmen, as it could be challenging to explore one’s personal identity in a new environment with new people and sometimes away from those we love. However, just like Mills connected with students and faculty that helped him get out of his comfort zone, college students can have mentors and friends that help them be more confident and have a clearer sense of identity.
