Roth's rather bloated first novel begins with a compelling premise: Hava Aaronson, a 17-year-old Orthodox Jew with punk attitude, gets cast in a new television show called The Goldbergs
, and moves from New York City to Los Angeles for the summer taping. There, she has a wide range of experiences: Evie, her television sister, who at 15 is already used to sex and alcohol, takes her to Hollywood parties, while Hava and Charles, her television father, share an off-air kiss, challenging the teen's practice of shomer negiah
("We weren't supposed to touch boys we weren't related to"). Meanwhile, her classmate Moish also lands in L.A., making a film of every moment of his life, and the two outsiders search together for a place to worship, struggle with their beliefs and even take a road trip together to the Bay Area. Readers will appreciate the look into Hava's modern Orthodox Jewish culture and beliefs. In addition, the show itself, some of which appears in the narrative as script, leads to some funny moments (The Goldbergs
is about an Orthodox Jewish family that's "so unorthodox they're Orthodox!"); Hava's catch phrase on the show is "Oh vey
, dude!" But as the story goes on and on, readers will be left wondering what exactly the point is here. Unfortunately, a surreal moment towards the end, in which Hava meets the show's producers—three old rabbis and an old Jewish woman who work by candlelight—may be the point at which readers stop caring about Hava's journey. Ages 12-up. (Feb.)
