Becoming Emily Novak

Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC I received of this book. It will be released to the public on Jan 31.

The best word to describe #BecomingEmilyNovak by #AudreyBethStein is "moving." This coming-of-age, slice-of-life novel follows Jewish, competitive, good girl Emily Novak from high school to adulthood. Emily finds herself behind the lens of a camera, and her constant forays into photography document her family as a whole.

What this book does so well is capture the unspoken. The fraught, difficult family dynamics that affect *everyone,* not only the main players in a family drama. For example, Emily's mom has a falling out with her sister Ninian. Everyone is affected, including Emily, and her loyalties are divided. Is she allowed to miss her cousins? How should she manage the Not-Mom who appears in the wake of her grandparent's death? These are the truths that most of us have lived but don't like to think about - the childhood traumas that did not necessarily "rate" in our minds or that we simply accepted as normal.

Emily's younger brother, Zack, refuses to follow the rules. He drinks, he smokes, he dates non-Jewish girls. He isn't interested in continuing Jewish rituals post Bar-Mitzvah. He doesn't attend college, let alone an Ivy League school, as Emily does. Emily continues to maintain a relationship with Zack even when their parents are at their wits end as to what to do with him. And Emily's photography continues to document important moments as she grows and becomes.

This is a portrait of a messy, confusing entry into adulthood- without the certainties that other generations may have felt. Emily and Zack both live their Judaism and their lives authentically, even though they may not resemble the lives or commitments of generations past. My only quibble with the book was that the ending felt abrupt and unfinished- which may have been deliberate in that Emily is still "becoming" even when we close the back cover.

A really fascinating character study of a Jewish family. I really enjoyed the progression of this book and how it followed the family so intricately.
Wonderful writing!

When I requested the arc for this book I had absolutely no idea what I was about to dive into. This book, which I picked because it was tagged as lgbtq+, turned out to be one of my most gut-wrenching reads of the last few years.

The main character's journey hit way too close to home. Growing up in a religious environment, with parents that love you but can't help but need more and more from you, grief and what it does to those who stay, how to face death time after time after time, knowing it will wreck both you and your family. GOD. I felt Emily's grief in every single one of her sentences. I felt it like a child does when they can't really understand it and I felt it like a lost young woman does when she's been through more and more yet feels as clueless as when she started her journey.

Religion, grief, family, life expectations... nothing can hit harder than these topics to another young woman like me who, just like Emily, is still on her journey. The contrast between her and her younger brother, who by the end has lived through his chosen adventures, studied, gotten married, had two children and is now going to die, is stark. Her story brings solace to anyone who still hasn't found their footing yet and is still in their trial-and-error phase.

Don't misunderstand me, I think this book would be to anyone's liking, the pace is amazing, the narration keeps you engaged and Emily is a very likable character whose experiences and feelings everyone can somehow relate to. Yet, if you're a 20-30yo old woman this will hit you harder than anyone else.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this. It had honestly been a long while since a book made me feel SO MUCH.