Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a novel centered around the life of supermodel Nina Riva. Alternating between the past and present, Malibu Rising shares the story of Nina and her sibling’s (Kit, Jay and Hud) life, navigating an alcoholic mother and a father (famous singer Mick Riva) who is not involved in their lives. The story concludes at the Riva sibling’s annual party, during which things get very out of hand.
Through out Malibu Rising, the main character Nina Riva navigates her identity. As shown in the novel, Niva’s entire life and identity has revolved around taking care of her siblings. After their father walked out on them when Nina was a child, Nina took on more responsibility within her family. Her mom, though present, was often consumed by alcoholism and because of this, Nina served as a mother figure to her three younger siblings. When their mother passes, Nina drops out of high school to take care of her sibling full time and run the family restaurant. Nina’s entire life had been consumed by doing whatever was necessary, including taking on a modeling career, to care for her siblings. Toward the end of the novel, Nina realizes that her siblings no longer depend on her, and she must examine what her identity is outside of being a mother figure to them. From this evaluation, she decides to leave Malibu and finally take her life into her own hands, doing what makes her happy. Overall, the entire novel is an investigation into Nina’s identity.
The novel also examines interesting power dynamics. The most prevalent one is the power that Mick Riva has over his family who he walked out on. Even though he is not present in their lives, he still holds a power over the family, influencing their decisions, especially because he is famous. Malibu Rising also examines injustices surrounding the contrast between wealth and poverty, and how this impacts people differently.
In conclusion, the novel Malibu Rising covers topics that are very relatable to the topics we discuss in this course.
