The Virgins

August 5, 2013
In Erens's (The Understory) second novel students Seung Jung and Aviva Rossner are widely known at Auburn Academy boarding school for flaunting their promiscuity. Despite the rumors about their sexual escapades, Seung and Aviva are virgins, unable to consummate their relationship. Set in 1979, Bruce Bennett-Jones, a fellow student, narrates this tale of a seemingly mismatched couple, Seung, a Korean-American boy experimenting with drugs, and Aviva, a Jewish girl trying to find her area of aptitude. From Bruce's perspective, the reader is shown the initial meeting between Seung and Aviva, their growing passion towards each other, the resulting drama and final tragedy. Meanwhile, Bruce's own desire for Aviva is apparent, but his failed initial attempt prevents him from pursuing her. Instead, Bruce uses Aviva as the focus of his sexual fantasies. Erens effectively depicts both Seung's frustration in being unable to satisfy Aviva physically and Aviva's desperation to let herself fully lose control. Adroitly capturing the anguish of adolescent desire, Eren's latest is a lesson in love, loss, and tragedy. Agent: Anna Stein O'Sullivan, Aitken Alexander Associates, LLC.

June 1, 2013

Set at an exclusive East Coast prep school during the school year 1979-80, this follow-up to The Understory, winner of the Ironweed Press Fiction Prize, is the doomed love story (and we know early on that it is doomed) between Aviva Rossner and Seung Jung. Aviva, Jewish and from Chicago, and Seung, the son of Korean immigrants, are seen as somewhat apart and exotic by the other students but find solace in each other's company. Events are narrated by classmate Bruce Bennett-Jones, who admits to imagining some of the detail that he couldn't possibly know firsthand. It isn't until the book's closing chapters that we fully understand why Bruce feels so haunted and personally connected to what happened. VERDICT Erens writes with great believability and sensitivity about the teenage years, when school and family pressures, along with sexual awakening, can seem like life-and-death issues. Whether she's describing a visit to an ice cream stand or Seung and Aviva's explorations of lovemaking, her prose is sensual and lyrical. Having Bruce narrate the story shouldn't work but somehow does, as he finds his own path away from family and societal expectations for his future. Many readers will want to investigate this work.--Christine DeZelar-Tiedman, Univ. of Minnesota Libs., Minneapolis

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.