Inconvenient

October 1, 2010

Fifteen-year-old Alyssa, the daughter of Russian Jews who came to America when she was four, lives in suburban New Jersey, where on the surface everything is smooth. But behind closed doors, Alyssa's mother, who has multiple traits that never quite form a cohesive personality, is drinking and drinking and can't seem to stop. Alyssa's overworked engineer father views his daughter's problems, such as being late for school because her mother is too hungover to drive, as mere inconveniences. How Alyssa comes to terms with her mother's drinking is the crux of the novel, and to her credit, Gelbwasser doesn't make it simple or take the easy way out. Unfortunately, she clutters up this realistic, heartfelt story with ideas and subplots that fail to engage—e.g., one in which Alyssa's best friend tries to lose her Russian identity in order to join the cool clique seems oddly ancillary. However, the other important thread, Alyssa's growing attraction to fellow runner Keith, is stronger and better integrated, though readers will guess its strongly telegraphed surprise. (Fiction. YA)

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January 1, 2011

Gr 8-10-Russians and alcohol go hand in hand, both in ignorant stereotypes and in 15-year-old Alyssa's experiences. The daughter of Russian immigrants, she is used to seeing her parents find any occasion to imbibe. But when her mother's drinking starts to get out of control, it's not just insensitive comments from thoughtless classmates that are the problem. While Alyssa works to navigate having her first boyfriend, her newly popular best friend, and her cross-country running career, she is simultaneously-and single-handedly-covering up for her mother's growing alcohol abuse while her workaholic father stands by in willful denial until he realizes he must act. Alyssa feels more and more isolated until her new boyfriend, Keith, offers insight that helps "New Alyssa" temper "Old Alyssa's" enabling behaviors. Though the imagery is a bit heavy-handed in parts, the topic of parental alcoholism is an important one to address, and the Russian Jewish teen is an uncommon protagonist in YA literature, both of which create an interesting narrative perspective. The day-to-day nature of Alyssa's story is a refreshing take on the YA problem novel, one that refuses melodrama and favors instead the powerful significance of the smaller moments of life-a smell, a look, a flash of a memory.-Jennifer Miskec, Longwood University, Farmville, VA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2010
Grades 9-12 Growing up in a Russian Jewish community in suburban New Jersey, Alyssa, 15, gets advice from her best friend about how to fit in with the popular high-school crowd. Alyssa especially wants to hook up with Keith, who runs with her on the cross-country team, and she is thrilled when he returns her interest, and they make out. The love story is steamy in this first novel, told in Alyssas immediate, present-tense voice. But Gelbwasser tackles more than romance here. Alyssas beloved mom has become an alcoholic, and Dad hides from the problem. Will Mom disgrace the family at their Russian synagogue, where everyone loves to drink? Will she show up drunk at Alyssas school? Will AA help? Rooted in the authors Russian Jewish immigrant background, the story is both hilarious and heartbreaking, and the situations are universal. Some readers may find themselves slowed by the details, but the story, especially the ending, is honest and unsentimental about the difficulties Alyssa faces.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)