Take Me With You When You Go

July 1, 2021
Teenage sibs desperately search for ways to escape a toxic domestic situation. When his big sister, Bea, disappears just two months before her Indiana high school graduation, leaving him without an ally at home against their passive aggressive mom and viciously abusive stepfather, 15-year-old Ezra oscillates between rage and terror--even after Bea emails that she's (more or less) OK. Fortunately, Ezra can look to his boyfriend, Terrence, and other outside allies for support when the punishments and public scenes get to be too much. Bea has walled off everyone except her beloved little brother and has, it turns out, quixotically set out on a quest of her own...only to discover that their mother hasn't been exactly straight about important elements of their family history. The authors frame this heartbreaking outing through emails of frequently monumental length and a relentless focus on either pep talks or event and relationship analysis. Perceptive readers who make it through the emotional wringer will encounter certain themes: that people and the reasons for what they do are rarely if ever simple; that adolescence can be scary but exhilarating (the solid, healthy bond between Ezra and Terrence being a case in point); and that seeing oneself clearly is a first step toward real change. Ultimately, Ezra and Bea come to understand that it's better to be running toward the future than from the past. Ezra is White; Terrence is Black. A wrenching, if logorrheic, epistolary portrait of a dysfunctional family. (authors' note, resources) (Fiction. 14-18)

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Starred review from July 23, 2021

Gr 8 Up-"You burned the bridge, Bea-and you still wanted me to walk on it?" When Ezra's 18-year-old sister abandons their abusive home, all she leaves 15-year-old Ezra is a secret email address. He, better than anyone, understands Bea's urge to escape, but why now? When Bea won't answer and cuts off communication, a desperate Ezra snaps. After trying to burn their house down, he ends up living with Bea's bereft boyfriend, then with his own boyfriend, Terrence. Bea, homeless after following the promise of a better life with someone she met online, finds both more and less than she and Ezra bargained for. The siblings are taking their first, harrowing steps toward a better future-but can either manage without the other? Ezra and Bea are white; Terrence is Black. Once readers of this novel-in-emails accept that both siblings are mature writers who can recount extensive scenes, including dialogue, they will be richly rewarded. In this heartrending tale, nuanced and flawed characters struggle with secrets, crises, and complex questions about family, love, loyalty, and responsibility. The story emphasizes that many kids hide family dysfunction, that they need to know they are not alone, and that they can survive and find others who will value them. The book includes strong language and mild sexual situations. It offers a list of resources for those struggling with abuse. VERDICT This epistolary narrative about a brother and sister escaping their abusive family will grab readers from the first page and does not let go. Highly recommended.-Rebecca Moore, The Overlake Sch., Redmond, WA

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 23, 2021
Two white siblings find themselves—and each other—in Levithan’s (19 Love Songs) and Niven’s (Breathless) tender collaboration. When 15-year-old high school freshman Ezra Ahern’s 18-year-old senior sister Beatrix disappears from their Indiana hometown, he feels lost, left alone with their abusive mother and stepfather. As Bea starts a new life and uncovers hidden family history in St. Louis, Ezra struggles to leave his parents and be honest with his boyfriend Terrence, who is Black. Things reach a boiling point for each of the siblings until the only way for them to save themselves is to confront their fear and break their silence. Thoughtful observations and difficult truths abound in Bea’s and Ez’s story, which alternates between their viewpoints and is told entirely via their emails, as they grapple compellingly with their trauma. Bea is especially memorable—naive and self-aware, callous and compassionate—but withdrawn Ez’s gradual opening up to others is also potent. If the delivery relies on philosophizing instead of letting the narrative speak for itself, the compassionate portrayal of the pain of childhood abuse and the difficulty of escaping it more than compensates. Ages 14–up. Agents: (for Levithan) Bill Clegg, Clegg Agency; (for Niven) Kerry Sparks, Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency.

July 1, 2021
Eighteen-year-old Bea runs away from a home situation that includes an abusive stepfather; a mother who takes his side; and her confused and angry fifteen-year-old brother, Ezra. The novel is composed of messages she sends from a secret email account, and Ezra's responses, with brief why-haven't-you-answered-me missives lending real-time immediacy amid the longer emails delivering the narrative (with perhaps an unrealistic amount of detail, but then, it's their only means of communication). While the conflict at home heightens and Ezra goes to stay with Bea's boyfriend's family, Bea meets up with a "Mystery Guy" -- and it isn't revealing too much to say that she believes he's one long-lost family member...and he's actually another. That encounter leads to the uncovering of more and more secrets about Bea and Ezra's past, which keep the pages turning, but the crux of the novel is the siblings' emotional realizations as they begin to process their experiences, allowing themselves and each other space to be flawed. Appended with resources for those experiencing abuse.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)