The Novel Review - I Am Not Esther

In the novel "I am not Esther", by Fleur Beale, a character I admired was Kirby. I admired her because she kept strong after her mum abandoned her, she helped Maggie and developed a strong relationship with her, and she left The Fellowship to find her mum and get her life back again.

Firstly, I admired Kirby because she stayed strong when her mother abandoned her. Kirby was a complete mess about what happened, but she stayed strong as best as she could and tried get on with the change of lifestyle that was made to her. Kirby did find it hard, but she found a way to deal with it and not be so depressed. Maggie and Daniel helped with this, as Kirby felt less alone with their kindness. "I'm Kirby, I yelled. I'm not Esther for God's Sake!". This shows that Kirby is staying true to herself and staying strong with who she really is and that she will not let them change her identity completely.

Another reason why I admired Kirby is because she helped Maggie become a happier child and she developed a strong relationship with her. The first time Kirby observed the Pilgrim family praying, Maggie stood out to Kirby because of how young she was, also by seeing how upset it made Maggie when they prayed, and Kirby knew it was wrong and felt sorry for her. Kirby then started to spend more time with Maggie and develop a bond between them, which made the two of them happier and stronger together. "Come along princess. Come and show me how to get into these funny clothes." This is showing that Kirby is wanting to start a good relationship with Maggie, and that she wants Maggie to be a happier child living with their religious ways.

Lastly, I admired Kirby because she left The Fellowship to go find her mum because she knew that living with the Pilgrim family was not what she wanted, and she knew that she needed to be with her mother. Kirby was happy to announce that she would be leaving The Fellowship to return to her mother. She knew it was the right thing to do, but that meant she was expelled from The Church and that Kirby would be dead to them all. Kirby knew that she would not become Esther Pilgrim, and that she knew deep down inside that she was Kirby Greenland. "Let's get out of here!" This is what Kirby says to Daniel when The Church kick them both out after they both decide to leave The Fellowship. This is showing that Kirby is eager to escape from The Fellowship, and get her old life back with her mother and other family members.