Tess Fragoulis

How one struggles to live beyond an unspeakable tragedy can be an interesting journey. If somebody finds themselves the need to run from a life a comfort and start some sort of existence, how does that person do that? Tess Fragoulis documents such a journey in her novel The Goodtime Girl.

Page 72-73
The room was packed again, all its air sucked out and replaced with smoke and tension. The devils she knew seemed restless and ready to lash out at the newcomers, who were acting like they owned the place: flashing money, knives, pistols, and pestering the girls in the corner who knew better than to accept or reject prematurely. They were well aware how swiftly a pauper could dethrone a king.
Kivelli felt indifferent. Manghes came, manghes went, and they all wanted to hear the same songs in between. Though she was grateful to Barba Yannis for being decent and helping her escape Kyria Effie's, she didn't feel particularly committed to the tavern or the men who frequented it. At best they were friendly enemies who helped pay her way. She sang for her supper, and who the coins came from was of little consequences. Since the appearance of the Smyrniot, she had bigger things to think about than who was pissing on whose turf.
Sometime after one a.m. the band took a break. Kivelli was desperate to escape the swelter and smoke and bombastic voices of men talking of nothing other than to be noticed. That no one had been beaten or shot yet was a miracle; if there was one thing a mangha needed it was room to move. The Catastrophe had taught her the mercilessness of crowds, how their small shifts and ripples could grow into a tidal wave that swept away everything in its path. Blood churned in her ears, and her temples felt ready to explode as she squeezed through the crush of bodies and anonymous hands passed over her buttocks, breasts and sex.

The story deals with Kivelli Fotiathi. Forced to leave her native Smyrna, she finds herself in the Greek city of Piraeus. Her struggle leads her trying to deal with prostitutes, gangsters, landlords and fellow refugees, until she is discovered and becomes a recording star.… (altro)