Once More with Chutzpah

December 1, 2021
A struggling teenager finds herself abroad. Eighteen-year-old Tally Gelmont and her twin brother, Max, are off to visit Israel for the first time, on a trip that is not Birthright but shares a lot of similarities with that common Jewish program. Max has been depressed ever since he survived a drunken driving accident; Tally, for her part, is still pretending like she's unaffected by the incident even though she is dealing with chronic anxiety as well as burgeoning questions about her sexuality. Aside from the setting, this novel has a cookie-cutter vibe: Tally's interest in musical theater feels tacked on rather than being a well-developed element of her character, and there's a stereotypical Black new-best-friend character, Jewish Ethiopian American Saron, who exudes one-note Manic Pixie Dream Girl energy (and who calls her "Tally Mark" to the point of annoyance). The novel also includes plenty of earnest conversations between underdeveloped supporting characters during which they blandly discuss their identities (including the White Gelmont twins' patrilineal Jewish heritage; their mother is Catholic). Tally's process of discovering her demisexuality just before Jerusalem Pride makes for a very flat climax. The rest of the story is a cheerful "#IVEGOTCHUTZPAH" tour through Israel, occasionally acknowledging the existence of Palestinians, although despite a few moments when the characters comment that "the history is complicated," the subject is not fully explored. Takes on complex issues but doesn't deliver with depth. (author's note) (Fiction. 14-18)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 3, 2022
White twins Tally and Max shared everything, until, in their senior year, Max was in a car accident that left the driver dead. Since then, he’s been depressed and distant, and Tally’s been busy worrying about him—as well as denying that she’s facing any trouble of her own, despite her sudden inability to write song lyrics. But she hopes that the interfaith siblings’ youth trip to Israel with their temple will reconnect them and cheer Max. As the group, which includes minor Ethiopian American and Black characters, sets off, Tally tries to fix Max up; the cute, funny tour leader opens her eyes to her own demisexuality; and she’s forced to confront the fact that the accident affected her, too. Debut author Neil addresses Israel’s “complicated” history sans a Palestinian point of view; better handled is the exploration of how Tally’s compartmentalization and anxiety let her hide her feelings not only from others but from herself. Ages 12–up. Agent: Lauren Spieller, Triada US.