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You Are Not What We Expected

ebook
4 of 4 copies available
4 of 4 copies available

This stunningly intimate collection of stories is an exquisite portrait of a Jewish community the secular and religious families who inhabit it and the tensions that exist there that illuminates the unexpected ways we remain connected during times of change.

When Uncle Isaac moves back from L.A. to help his sister, Elaine Levine, care for her suddenly motherless grandchildren, he finds himself embroiled in even more drama than he would like in their suburban neighbourhood. Meanwhile, a nanny miles from her own family in the Philippines, cares for a young boy who doesn't fit in at school. A woman in mid-life contends with the task of cleaning out the house in which she grew up, while her teenage son struggles with why his dad moved out. And down the street, a mother and her two daughters prepare for a wedding and transitions they didn't see coming.

Spanning fifteen years in the lives of a multi-generational family and their neighbours, this remarkable collection is an intimate portrait of a suburban Jewish community by a writer with a keen eye for detail, a gentle sense of humour, and an immense literary talent.

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    • Library Journal

      June 26, 2020

      This collection of 13 interrelated stories primarily follows the Levine family--grandparents Elaine and Oscar, Uncle Isaac, and the children Adam and Ava. Set in Thornhill and up and down the Bathurst corridor of Toronto, the stories move back and forth in time, sometimes focusing on the Levines at various stages in their lives and sometimes on narratives tangentially related to them. As in the Israeli television series Shtisel, characters confront the clash between religious tradition and the modern world and between orthodox and assimilated Jews. Ludwig explores the theme of leave-taking: after surviving a difficult childhood, Ava enlists in the Israeli army; Isaac leaves Los Angeles and returns to Toronto; in the title story, Rhina, an Australian, flees to Israel after her divorce; Ava and Adam stay with their grandparents after their mother runs off to Las Vegas. Ludwig is particularly adept at describing her younger characters; these kids are complicated, angry, mean, alienated, bullies, and bullied. VERDICT Readers familiar with Toronto will appreciate the insider's portrayal and even recognize specific buildings and blocks, but all readers can enjoy Ludwig's (Holding My Breath) writing. She shows great empathy for her characters, even when they behave badly.--Jacqueline Snider, Toronto

      Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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Languages

  • English

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