The Ant Colony

15-year old Conny lives with her alcoholic mother and her younger half-brothers and sisters in the Ant Colony, a rundown area on the outskirts of town. She has inherited her father's dark skin and black curls; but apart from that she knows nothing about him. Whilst her mother amuses herself with a string of constantly changing boyfriends, Conny and her friends skive off school and hang out in the shopping centre.

 

Conny feels safe in her gang, but at home things are getting more and more out of control: several of her mother's lovers turn out to be vicious thugs. Conny does her best trying to look after her brothers and sisters, making what money she can and keeping social services at bay, all at the same time.

 

Then, quite unexpectedly, she finds she can trust one of her teachers and confides in him. But her friends perceive the teacher as a threat and force Conny to make a difficult decision...

 

What makes live worth living ? Is it a good education? Money? Or is it friendship and solidarity? - The narrator surprises us with a completely new perspective - both sophisticated and true to life.