I disagree with Fenrix that Julia is even exhibiting risky sexual behavior, or that it might indicate low self esteem. First of all, sexuality is something imposed on her, not something she has sought out for herself. She is always an observer with David, no more (until the end, of course). Her dreams and visions of Jack partially represent, among other things, a society that seeks to destroy and obscure her as a consequence of coming of age in a female body. Despite experiencing this lowering in the eyes of her society, internally she knows that she is smarter and more powerful than most people around her.
David's arrogance, his willingness to touch her without her permission, to take her silence as permission, to coerce, and his ridiculously self-absorbed failure to acknowledge her words or body language... I think these are almost universal experiences for girls. It's disassociative, to be so completely misunderstood. The plunging of the knife is a clear parallel to the penetration of the penis, turned on David in the moment of his self-congratulatory and oblivious passion. It's an inversion that, I know, many women have imagined and longed to see borne out.
I guess I'll leave it at that. I've listened to this story so many times already, perhaps I'm over-interpreting, but my ideas around it just keep getting more complex. I could say so much more to say about it. I love this story. I think it's one of my favorite escape artists stories of all time, and that is saying a lot. Thank you for publishing such a wonderful piece. I really look forward to devouring the rest of Moreno-Garcia's work, and hopefully hearing more of her on the podcast in the future.
I also absolutely adored the narration! It was perfect. Great job to Pamila Payne and hope to hear more of her in the future too.