Teenage restlessness, one of the driving forces of Signs of the End of the World

Sometimes literary ideas emerge quickly, but other times they need time to mature. In the case of the poet, narrator and essayist Flor Aguilera, her novel Signs of the end of the world evolved during the covid pandemic.

“I write constantly, but not always at the same speed. This literary project is the result of a long process in which I intertwined my reflections on adolescence, the safety of young women and family dynamics.

My novel began to germinate in the Canadian province of Alberta, near the Banff Centre for the Arts, where I had an artistic residency, surrounded by writers from many parts of the world. I spent time with my colleagues, we ate, dined and talked about our creative processes.the writer explained in an interview with The Day.

The plot tells the story of Andrea, who at 16 has had the privilege of visiting the most extraordinary places on Earth. Everyone around her considers her very lucky, and she is, but few know that she lives trapped between rules, coldness and family secrets that have hurt many people… her, first of all.

It is as if real life, with all its pain and intense beauty, is forbidden. However, the protagonist knows that there is more and that it is her right to find it.

There is huge concern for the safety of teenage girlsthe author stressed. This concern became one of the driving forces of the story. She also reflected on the expectations that parents impose on their children, especially daughters.

“In Andrea’s case, her mother tries to protect her, making her fit into certain molds, such as dressing her in a way that gives the false security that if she dresses modestly, she will attract less male attention.

This takes away freedom, but reassures the parents. However, the young woman completely disagrees with this imposition, and expresses it.

As for the narrative structure, the poet pointed out that the use of the first person and the diary format were intentional decisions. “I like to write that way because it brings the reader closer to the character.

In this case, Andrea’s brother leaves home to study abroad, and leaves her a notebook, which becomes her diary. For this reason, the protagonist speaks to the notebook as if it were her family member, but at the same time she addresses the reader.

A relevant aspect in the novel is the constant pressure that teenagers face today.

For Flor Aguilera, “being a girl in the 21st century involves a bombardment of images and ideas. From the moment they wake up, young people are immersed in a kind of whirlwind of expectations about how they should look, how they should be to be attractive. That didn’t exist when I was young, or if it did, it was something very far away. Today, everything is within reach, and that creates tremendous pressure.

Like many teenagers today, Andrea faces the paradox of wanting to fit in with her surroundings and, at the same time, stand out. However, her process of discovery includes not only love and friendship, but also a reconnection with her country: Mexico.

Published by the Autonomous University of Nuevo León (UANL), with illustrations by Nuria Mel, Signs of the end of the world It evokes both moments of personal crisis and the global catastrophes that marked the pandemic.

“A lot of young adult novels distort or idealize romantic love in adolescence, when in general it is an experience where kids feel clumsy in their first approaches and generally do not have happy endings.

This story is not written in the style of the American John Green. On the contrary, it deals with the crises and discoveries that teenagers go through, but also with love, friendship and the pressures of the contemporary world. I hope that the story will resonate with young people today and with those who once were.