In the novel " Looking for Alibrandi" by Melina Marchetta, Michael Andrettu makes the following statement " Peoplechange, circumstances change them page" (243). This statement applys to the following three people in different ways in the novel. Josie Alibrandi, her mother Christina, and her nonna Katia.
Josie Alibrandi experiences a few things within the novel, and these circumstances change Josie from the person she was at the beginning of the novel to the person she becomes at the end of the novel. At the beginning of the novel we are introduced to a boy named John Barton, who Josie displays to the reader is the one guy she cares the most about. Her relationship with John Barton grows stronger throughout the novel. But when one of the main events in the novel occurs, the suicide of John Barton, it marks the start of the change of Josie. .
Josie begins to understand the importance of friends around her, who support her, and how, without them, she wouldn't be who she is without them. She also learns how to cope with the loss, making her a stronger person.
" the day john died was a nose-dive day and I hit the ground so hard that I feel as if every part of me hurts " (page 240).
The suicide brings Josie closer to one of the main people that change her throughout the novel, her future boyfriend Jacob coote. Jacob coote is there for her when John Barton dies, and supports her throughout the novel from where they meet. John helps Josie change into a more caring, and more considerate person, by making her realize people are there for her, who care for her.
Another thing that changed Josie was the introduction to her father, whom she had never seen. At the beginning, when they first meet, they don't like each other, and Josie is still a little brat, and disrespectful. The teasing she got from people at school for not having a father affected her, making her more arrogant, but when Josie and Michael get to know each other, he has a great influence on her.