As extraordinary as people say it is...

This novel gives one an intimate understanding of how land and heritage affects the identity of this narrator,in this case a young girl on the cusp of womanhood. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it seemed so natural and truthful to me as I read it, a rare experience in fiction. I was nodding in recognition even though I'm not female or Israeli. How our motivations, anxieties, and personal decisions and choices can be forced upon us simply by history and the fatal cards it deals us against our wills. I think this is what Skolkin-Smith meant to portray, the tensions of forming any identity against a backdrop of war and terror and chaos. This book is for intrepid explorers of the human psyches, who don't just want prescriptive characters, but want to understand what is the sexual and mysterious undertow. As Liana goes into the forbidden territory, so, too, is the reader taken into the taboo lands of sexuality and internal, private chaos. Not for people who want a quick, familar read, one needs to pay attention here, closely, and follow the realistic turns of scene.

Caroline Leavitt is a modest writer. She will take on the dark corners without self-congratulation. By this I mean, she writes so effortless and glides through the thickets that the life of her characters and story become a part of one's own dreams. This is one of her very best books, I loved it. It made me really think, really feel. Imaging a 16 year old pregnant and torn between worlds of adolescence and "Adulthood" made this a vibrant, amazing journey for me... Because I don't usually think of that person, and Leavitt's artistry is in pulling me and other into paces we don't usually go--

A wonderful writer.