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WORK TITLE: You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.rachelsolomonbooks.com/
CITY: Seattle
STATE: WA
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
Agent: Laura Bradford,
RESEARCHER NOTES:
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| LCCN Permalink: | https://lccn.loc.gov/n2017042587 |
| HEADING: | Solomon, Rachel Lynn |
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| 005 | 20170718171230.0 |
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| 010 | __ |a n 2017042587 |
| 040 | __ |a DLC |b eng |c DLC |e rda |
| 100 | 1_ |a Solomon, Rachel Lynn |
| 670 | __ |a You’ll miss me when I’m gone, 2018: |b ECIP title page (Rachel Lynn Solomon) |
PERSONAL
Born in Seattle, WA.
EDUCATION:University of Washington, B.A., 2011.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Works in the education field. Worked formerly as contributor to newspapers, radio show producer, for NPR, and as writer for the Daily.
WRITINGS
Article contributor to numerous newspapers and the Daily.
SIDELIGHTS
Rachel Solomon is a Seattle-based writer who also works in the education field. She writes young adult fiction. Solomon attended college at the University of Washington, where she studied communications and journalism. She has worked previously as a radio show producer, a contributor to newspapers, for NPR, and as a writer for the Daily. She is represented by Laura Bradford of the Bradford Literary Agency. Solomon is a Seattle native.
You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone, Solomon’s first novel, tells the story of teenage fraternal twins Adina and Tovah Siegel. The two girls live in Seattle, Washington with their Israeli-born mother and American father. Bilingual and Jewish, the girls grew up in a warm and loving household. Though they are dedicated to their Jewish religion, their relationships to faith, as well as their relationship with each other, begin to change as they enter adolescence.
When the girls are fourteen, their mother is diagnosed with Huntington’s disease. This diagnosis means impending tragedy for the family, as well as the guarantee for the girls of a genetic predisposition to the disease. As they watch their mother develop memory loss, mood swings, and physical tics, they understand that they may eventually face the same fate. As their mother’s deterioration is underway, Adina and Tovah are experiencing puberty in very different ways. While both girls are ambitious, Adina is the more outgoing, beautiful, and adventurous of the twins. She is a talented viola player with aspirations of musical fame. By age eighteen, her interest in Judaism fades as her sexuality blossoms. She spends many hours with her twenty-four year old viola tutor, and enjoys the challenge of seducing the older man.
Tovah prefers to be out of the spotlight. She wears baggy clothes to hide her curves and has little to no sexual experience. Her faith is still strong, and she spends her time focusing on her studies. Motivated and ambitious, she has aspirations to study medicine at Johns Hopkins University. A fallout in the girls’ sophomore year leads to a deep fracture in their relationship, and as they navigate high school they no longer have each other to turn to. When the girls are eighteen, complicated circumstances lead to Adina needing to get the genetic test to determine if she will develop Huntington’s disease. She convinces Tovah to get the test too, and the results pull the sisters further apart. Adina’s test comes back positive, while Tovah’s is negative.
Committed to an eventual death sentence, Adina intentionally creates more distance between the girls. Aware of how limited her time is, she begins to act out, make reckless and thoughtless decisions. In her mind, she is ultimately doing Tovah a favor. If the two girls have no relationship, it will be less painful for Tovah when Adina eventually begins to grow ill and deteriorate. Instead of leading to Tovah’s emotional detachment, Adina’s actions have the opposite effect on Tovah. Tovah experiences the repercussions of Adina’s actions, and her concern for her sister deepen. The test results and Adina’s actions lead to further rifts between the girls, as guilt, anger, and desire for revenge replace the love the twins once held for one another.
Kirsten Pickel in Voice of Youth Advocates wrote, “Solomon has combined lyrical language with realistic, engaging characters to create a stunning debut.” Michael Cart in Booklist noted: “Problems are too easily and abruptly resolved,” while also stating that the book is “a well-executed, somber study of the devastating impact of incurable disease on a family.” Amanda MacGregor on the School Library Journal website described the book as “a complex look at identity, futures, faith, family, and what it means to truly live your life,” adding that it is a “brilliant and provocative debut.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, November 1, 2017, Michael Cart, review of You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone, p. 67.
Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2017, review of You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone.
Publishers Weekly, November 13, 2017, review of You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone, p. 66.
Voice of Youth Advocates, December 2017, Kirsten Pickel, review of You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone, p. 63.
ONLINE
Daily, http://www.dailyuw.com/ (December 7, 2017), Gabe Adler, review of You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone.
Jewish Book Council, https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/ (February 22, 2018), Emily Stone, author interview.
School Library Journal, http://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com/ (January 2, 2018), Amanda MacGregor, review of You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone.
Rachel is a Seattle native who loves rainy days, her tiny dog, tap dancing, old movies, red lipstick, and books with flawed, complicated characters. In high school, she sang in a riot grrrl band, and she was once part of a group of people who broke a Guinness World Record for the most natural redheads in one place.
She has written for newspapers, produced a radio show that aired in the middle of the night, and worked for NPR. Currently she works in the education field.
Rachel's young adult fiction is represented by Laura Bradford of the Bradford Literary Agency.
Solomon, Rachel Lynn. You'll Miss
Me When I'm Gone
Kirsten Pickel
Voice of Youth Advocates.
40.5 (Dec. 2017): p63. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC http://www.voya.com
Full Text:
Solomon, Rachel Lynn. You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone. Simon Pulse, January 2018. 384p. $17.99. 978-1-4814-9773-2.
5Q * 3P * S
Twins Adina and Tovah grew up in a close-knit family with their Israeli-born mother and American father; their house was filled with love and a strong connection to their Jewish faith. That changes when the twins are fourteen and their mother develops Huntington's disease. The stress of watching their mother's health deteriorate takes a toll on the girls' relationship, and by senior year, they are going in separate directions. Adina dreams of becoming a viola virtuoso and spends a great deal of time honing her craft. She is also exploring her sexuality and enjoys the power she has over her twenty-four-year old tutor. Tovah, on the other hand, dresses in baggy clothes to downplay her curves and does not like to draw attention to herself. She quietly focuses on her studies, hoping to attend Johns Hopkins University to pursue a career in medicine. On their eighteenth birthday, Tovah convinces Adina to take the genetic test that will tell them whether they will develop Huntington's. The results cause the twins' already rocky relationship to fracture, and they must navigate their last year of high school without each other's support.
Solomon has combined lyrical language with realistic, engaging characters to create a stunning debut. Sexual situations occur throughout the novel, and the length may discourage some readers. Fans of complex realistic fiction, however, will be rewarded. The themes of religion, self-image, and familial relationships make this a great selection for a book discussion.--Kirsten Pickel.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
1 of 5 2/28/18, 10:32 PM
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MA...
Pickel, Kirsten. "Solomon, Rachel Lynn. You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone." Voice of Youth Advocates, Dec. 2017, p. 63. Book Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc /A522759442/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS&xid=c324120e. Accessed 28 Feb. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A522759442
2 of 5 2/28/18, 10:32 PM
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MA...
Solomon, Rachel Lynn: YOU'LL MISS ME WHEN I'M GONE
Kirkus Reviews.
(Oct. 15, 2017): From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Solomon, Rachel Lynn YOU'LL MISS ME WHEN I'M GONE Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster (Children's Fiction) $17.99 1, 2 ISBN: 978-1-4814-9773-2
When the genetic lottery strikes a family unevenly, only one twin gets a death sentence.
Fraternal twins Tovah and Adina are both ambitious, but the similarity ends there. Tovah's an AP student who wants to go to Johns Hopkins for pre-med, while Adina's a talented viola player who's conservatory-bound. Tovah hides her curves, while Adina wears "Siren" lipstick and sexy dresses. And Tovah's tested negative for the Huntington's disease gene, while Adina has tested positive. These bilingual, white, Jewish sisters have watched their Israeli mother's health deteriorate from the disease since her diagnosis four years ago. Now their mother's memory loss, mood swings, and physical tics seem like a grim foretelling of Adina's eventual condition. The once-close twins can't support each other in this terrible time, as they've been barely speaking since Adina sabotaged Tovah back in sophomore year. The point of view alternates, and readers watch religiously observant Tovah begin her first flirtation while sexually active and irreligious Adina seduces her 25-year-old viola teacher. The chilly prose depicts a family that's been dysfunctional for so long, and Adina approaches her grim solution to the Huntington's death sentence with such aloofness, that neither their pain nor her epiphany evokes much feeling.
While the fraught sibling relationship rings true, the narrative is ultimately too detached for the subject matter. (Fiction. 14-18)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Solomon, Rachel Lynn: YOU'LL MISS ME WHEN I'M GONE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Oct. 2017.
Book Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A509244082 /GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS&xid=a25415aa. Accessed 28 Feb. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A509244082
3 of 5 2/28/18, 10:32 PM
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MA...
You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone
Publishers Weekly.
264.46 (Nov. 13, 2017): p66. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone
Rachel Lynn Solomon. Simon Pulse, $17.99 (384p) ISBN 978-1-4814-9773-2
Gloomy, chilly Seattle is an ideal setting for Solomon's dark and thought-provoking debut novel. Fraternal twins Tovah and Adina Siegel found out at the impressionable age of 14 that their mother was diagnosed with Huntington's disease. At 18, the twins take a genetic test to determine if either or both of them will eventually contract HD. The results prove life-altering--one girl tests positive, the other negative--and the twins flounder in different ways. Growing up they were close, but now Tovah and Adina lash out at each other and the world, looking for an escape from heartbreak. Alternating between Tovah and Adina's perspectives, Solomon's novel is a moving glimpse into a religious family facing the effects of a tragic disease, a rocky sibling relationship, and two Jewish girls each searching for identity and security; the fallout from the diagnosis strengthens one twin's faith while the other rebels against it. It's an intense story that will likely trigger some powerful emotions in readers. Agent: 14-up. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary. (Jan.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone." Publishers Weekly, 13 Nov. 2017, p. 66. Book Review Index
Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A515326084/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=7369406c. Accessed 28 Feb. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A515326084
4 of 5 2/28/18, 10:32 PM
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MA...
You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone
Michael Cart
Booklist.
114.5 (Nov. 1, 2017): p67. From Book Review Index Plus.
COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone.
By Rachel Lynn Solomon.
Jan. 2018.384p. Simon & Schuster/Simon Pulse, $17.99 (9781481497732). Gr. 9-12.
Tovah and Adina are fraternal twins but not especially close. Adina is a gifted viola player, while Tovah is a brilliant student who dreams of going to Johns Hopkins. Tovah is a devout adherent of the family's Jewish religion; Adina isn't. Adina is beautiful; Tovah is not. Unfortunately, the twins do have one thing in common: a genetic predisposition to Huntington's disease, the incurable, fatal illness from which their Israeli mother suffers. When they turn 18, the twins take a test to determine their status, and, tragically, one of the twins' tests comes back positive. In the emotionally turbulent wake of the diagnosis and of their mother's increasing illness, the two girls have a bitter falling out that seems to defy hope of reconciliation. Though problems are too easily and abruptly resolved, Solomon's first book is otherwise a well-executed, somber study of the devastating impact of incurable disease on a family. This is one of the few YA novels to deal with Huntington's and is, accordingly, a valuable addition to the literature of illness.--Michael Cart
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Cart, Michael. "You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone." Booklist, 1 Nov. 2017, p. 67. Book Review
Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A515383113/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=a5d6e4e2. Accessed 28 Feb. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A515383113
5 of 5 2/28/18, 10:32 PM
Book Review: You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone by Rachel Lynn Solomon
January 2, 2018 by Amanda MacGregor Leave a Comment
Publisher’s description
you'll missA moving, lyrical debut novel about twins who navigate first love, their Jewish identity, and opposite results from a genetic test that determines their fate—whether they inherited their mother’s Huntington’s disease.
Eighteen-year-old twins Adina and Tovah have little in common besides their ambitious nature. Viola prodigy Adina yearns to become a soloist—and to convince her music teacher he wants her the way she wants him. Overachiever Tovah awaits her acceptance to Johns Hopkins, the first step on her path toward med school and a career as a surgeon.
But one thing could wreck their carefully planned futures: a genetic test for Huntington’s, a rare degenerative disease that slowly steals control of the body and mind. It’s turned their Israeli mother into a near stranger and fractured the sisters’ own bond in ways they’ll never admit. While Tovah finds comfort in their Jewish religion, Adina rebels against its rules.
When the results come in, one twin tests negative for Huntington’s, and the other tests positive.
These opposite outcomes push them farther apart as they wrestle with guilt, betrayal, and the unexpected thrill of first love. How can they repair their relationship, and is it even worth saving?
From debut author Rachel Lynn Solomon comes a luminous, heartbreaking tale of life, death, and the fragile bond between sisters.
Amanda’s thoughts
The novel opens with Adina and Tovah on the brink of turning 18. 18 may feel significant for many teenagers, but for these girls, it has a special significance: they’re old enough now to undergo the genetic testing that will determine if they will eventually develop Huntington’s disease, like their mother. They have a 50/50 chance they will. Adina and Tovah haven’t been close for a long time, thanks to an act of betrayal in their past, so they’re going into the test without the support of each other. Adina doesn’t even want to do the test–why she does/has to do it is complicated. When Adina tests positive, everything begins to fall apart. Their already strained relationship is further tested by guilt, anger, frustration, and revenge, all brought on by this diagnosis.
For Adina, a conservatory-bound viola player, the diagnosis pushes her to seize the moment, scared of just how many good moment she may have left. She also actively makes the rift between the sisters greater, figuring it will be easier on everyone if, when she gets sick and begins to deteriorate, they aren’t close—the loss won’t hurt so much (she thinks).
For Tovah, she’s left in the wake of her sister’s destructive impulses, but also struggling to adjust to her own life-changing news. A tightly-wound type A student who has been meticulously crafting the perfect resume her whole life, Tovah suddenly begins to see that there is life beyond grades and goals. She begins her first relationship and, while she has to adjust to new thoughts about what her future may now hold, it’s not on the same level as what Adina is adjusting to—something both sisters are constantly aware of.
I burned through this book, riveted by the girls’ relationship, which is constantly in flux. The alternate narration really lets us get in the heads of both girls and see them both really struggle with all the new things that they are dealing with. Let’s not forget that in the middle of all this there is their mother, whose symptoms are getting rapidly worse. They have to witness her decline, worry about what her future holds, and that’s a constant very real reminder for everyone of what will be ahead of Adina at some point.
I loved the large role religion plays in this family’s life. They are Jewish and often speak Hebrew. Their mother grew up in Tel Aviv and their father is American. Tovah is quite religious and Adina is not. Both speak and think about their religion and culture a lot—whether that’s because they are embracing it or rebelling against it.
This book is heartbreaking in all the best ways. The girls are not always likable (and we all know I hate that word as a judgment, right? That it’s OKAY to be unlikable, because being humans and containing multitudes means we’re not always the best version of ourselves?), they make hurtful choices, they keep things to themselves when what they really need is to lean on each other. This is a complex look at identity, futures, faith, family, and what it means to truly live your life. A brilliant and provocative debut. I look forward to more from Solomon.
FYI, this novel includes self-harm, suicidal ideation, and a discussion of death with dignity.
Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Edelweiss
ISBN-13: 9781481497732
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication date: 01/02/2018
Interview: Rachel Lynn Solomon
Thursday, February 22, 2018| Permalink
With Emily Stone
You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone is a stunning and lyrical debut novel about twin sisters whose lives are forever changed by a brutal medical diagnosis. It’s also a novel that addresses a set of themes that are quite new to Jewish YA. Rather than focusing on the Holocaust, the Catskills, or summer camp, it depicts a Jewish teen in an assimilated, digital American landscape.
Emily Stone: In writing this book, was your initial aim to fill a hole in Jewish YA? Or did you first set out to explore the plotline of twins who receive an unfair genetic result, and then decide to make the characters observant?
Rachel Lynn Solomon: The premise is what came to me first—one twin testing negative and one testing positive—and the first scene I wrote took place on Yom Kippur. Subconsciously, and then consciously as I immersed myself more deeply in the drafting process, I was yearning to write the kinds of Jewish characters I hadn't really seen in contemporary novels. You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone was my fifth completed manuscript but the first with Jewish protagonists. For the longest time, I thought the only stories we had to tell were Holocaust narratives—and while we must never stop telling those stories, they are not the only ones we have. Growing up, I was usually the only Jewish kid (occasionally, one of three) in school, and when I saw myself in books I saw tragedy, and I saw history. I'm hopeful Jewish teens will be able to see pieces of themselves in this book.
ES: The character Adina is very aware of her sexuality, and wields it, while her twin Tovah is discovering herself in the romance department. You’ve talked a lot about wanting to write female characters who are sex positive. Why is this important to you, especially in the era of #MeToo?
RLS: A lot of the books I read growing up painted a stark picture of female desire. Boys were allowed to want sex, and girls—modest girls, good girls—were supposed to push boys away. The way kids and teens are taught about sexuality and bodies is intensely harmful. Boys' bodies are sources of pleasure; girls' bodies bring them pain. We learn that above all, girls have to be careful, and while this is true (for anyone, definitely not just girls), there's often little discussion of sexuality beyond the negative. Growing up, I truly didn't think girls were supposed to have those desires. I wanted to write a sexually confident female character (Adina) because I hadn't read very many of them in YA, and I wanted teen girls to see that having those desires and safely acting on them is normal and okay and healthy! In terms of #MeToo, and as a sexual assault survivor, I aim to put my female characters in sexual situations where they are in control. That's always been important to me. I highly recommend the narrative nonfiction book Girls & Sex by Peggy Orenstein, which delves into all of these issues in a frank and respectful way.
ES: Why did you choose to make the twins’ mother Israeli? Do you have a close emotional connection to Israel?
RLS: Their mother was inspired by my own mother, who was raised in Mexico City, and also my former college Hebrew professor, who is Israeli. While I haven't been to Israel, I do feel drawn to it, and I can relate to having an immigrant parent speak another language (in my case, Spanish) in your house. Like me, the twins haven't been to Israel and each has a different kind of emotional connection to the country—one is desperate to learn more because of her strong relationship with her mother, while the other, who is more devout, is interested mainly for religious reasons.
ES: At the heart of the book is a terminal diagnosis that threatens to destroy a family already struggling to hold on. How do you write a book with this topic and still keep it entertaining? Does one need to get readers in their feelings to write good YA?
RLS: Getting readers in their feelings (I like that phrase a lot!) is definitely what I aim to achieve, but I also don't think a book needs to be heavy in order to do that. I've read some hilarious books that have also moved me to tears, and other lighthearted books that have overwhelmed me with sweetness. My main focus is always on the characters. If your reader doesn't care about your characters or can't relate to them, they're not going to care what happens to them. This doesn't mean they have to be likable, not by any means—I am usually drawn to characters who are intriguing rather than likable. But they should have goals, and the reader should be able to see how important those are. And when you place obstacles in the way of those goals, you want your reader to have an emotional reaction.
ES: You grew up in the Reform tradition. What drew you to writing characters who are significantly more observant?
RLS: With each book, I grow closer to writing my own experience, and that's really the beauty of fiction; it gives us the space to explore who we are. I wanted to write more observant characters for a few reasons: Right now I tend to shy away from writing anything remotely autobiographical because I love learning; I love researching. So this was an opportunity for me to learn more about Conservative Judaism. I also really wanted to give readers a window into Judaism that I didn't have as a teen. I've loved hearing reactions from readers—Jewish readers who are seeing themselves on the pages, and non-Jewish readers who are being exposed to something new.
ES: Where do Jews fit into the #OwnVoices movement? What other Jewish YA novels do you recommend and why?
RLS: There's a lot of room for more #OwnVoices Jewish books! I would really love to see more contemporary YA novels featuring Jewish protagonists of all types. For example, I can name only one #OwnVoices Orthodox Jewish book—Playing With Matches by Suri Rosen. Aside from that, I also recommend Katherine Locke's The Girl With The Red Balloon and Leah Scheier's Your Voice is All I Hear.
ES: Has writing these characters made you more engaged with your Judaism? Can we look forward to more Rachel Lynn Solomon YA novels with Jewish protagonists?
RLS: Absolutely. I cannot imagine writing a book without a Jewish protagonist at this point. All my works in progress feature Jewish protagonists, all of them relating to religion in a slightly different way. That's probably my favorite thing about the way I personally identify—that all of us have a unique, special relationship with Judaism, and yet we all still feel so connected.
Interview with the author: Rachel Lynn Solomon
By Gabe Adler The Daily Dec 7, 2017 (0)
ymwig courtesy
It takes courage to chase your dreams, especially when your dreams are not very lucrative and you live in Seattle. Nevertheless, these factors did not deter Rachel Lynn Solomon, a former writer for The Daily and a 2011 UW grad with a major in communication, from pursuing her authorial dreams. Solomon’s fifth completed novel and debut novel with Simon and Schuster, “You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone,” has warranted buzz from a wide array of advance reviewers. The contemporary young adult novel focuses on the relationship between a pair of Jewish twins who suddenly have a wrench thrown in their life plans when they receive a positive result from a test for Huntington’s disease.
The Daily had the opportunity to sit down with Solomon and discuss her new work, Judaism, and the path from graduating from the UW to becoming an author published by one of the five largest publishing companies in the country.
Q: How did your communication major and a journalism focus help you in your writing and your career search?
I wanted to work in journalism which is really competitive, and I wanted to work in public radio, but there are really only a handful of places in each city where you can do that. I wrote a lot of feature pieces, and they really focused on someone’s story. I’ve always been really drawn to people as characters and stories.
Q: How did your time writing for The Daily enhance your writing?
That was the first experience I had with deadlines, and I really do like working on deadlines. I’ve [also] always enjoyed talking to people about themselves more than [talking] about myself.
Q: Did you always know you wanted to be an author, and do you have other jobs?
Yeah. I work for a tutoring company. I’m in charge of recruiting, hiring, and training recruiters. I know very few people who are able to write full time. The goal was always to find something that was low stress that was not related at all to writing.
Q: Do you see the two jobs intersect in any ways?
Most of what I do during the day is interviews with people. I think I’ve always just been fascinated by people. I’m very much an observer. If I overhear a weird or funny conversation I’ll write it down, and maybe it will go into a book.
Q: How did you construct the characters in the novel, and how did your Jewish identity play into creating them?
In the four books I wrote before this one, there weren’t any Jewish characters in them, and I think that’s because growing up, the only books I read with Jews in them were Holocaust books. I thought that our stories were tragedies, and that’s the only thing we have to talk about. Every so often there’d be a Jewish best friend in a book, and I’d get so excited, but the book wasn’t about them. The characters just came to me as Jewish, and I wanted to paint them at odds with each other and at odds with the religion.
Q: What has your own journey through Judaism been like?
Sometimes I wonder if I’m Jewish enough to tell this story. The characters are conservative Jewish and I was raised reformed. It’s something you can connect with even if you’re not religious or observing every holliday. There’s such a sense of community when you meet another Jewish person. Growing up I was the only Jewish kid in class, so every year it would be, ‘Rachel, get up and give a presentation about Hanukkah,’ like I was the representative for this whole religion.
Q: What was the process of getting a publisher like?
It was hard. I’ve never heard two similar publishing stories because there are so many different ways that it can happen. So essentially if you want to be traditionally published you need a literary agent. They basically take on a book that they believe [in], and they don’t make money until the book sells. Finding an agent is a laborious task. It’s a matter of finding out what people are looking for. Sometimes, even when you think you have something that someone is looking for, they still don’t want it. I remember seeing an agent who was looking for Jewish voices and sister stories, which is exactly what my book is, and I got just a form rejection when I submitted it. When agents are trying to sell a book, they pitch it to editors. Basically it comes down down to, ‘Can we make money off of this book?’ It was exciting because after four — I don’t want to call them failed books — but practice books, this book sold in six weeks after receiving two offers.
Q: What do you try to keep in mind when you’re writing young adult novels?
I just try to subvert a trope whenever I can. I know this seems really small, but if there’s a nurse in the book, I make it a male nurse. With any stereotypically female or male role, I try to swap the gender. I’m definitely trying to do that on a broader scale too. I’m trying to think really hard about gender roles and what’s assumed of people.
Q: Do you have any advice for students who want to write a book after they graduate?
Be really stubborn. Other than that, be as well-read as possible in the genre that you’re writing in. Having that knowledge and that respect for it is really crucial. Also, develop relationships with other writers. There can be a lot of competition and jealousy, but find people that you can be genuinely happy for that are writing similar things as you and have similar goals.
Q: What do you want The Daily’s readers to know about the book?
The audience is teens, but “young adult” is for everyone. I know a lot of adults who read it. A lot of the themes about identity and where you fit are still relevant in college.
Solomon’s book “You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone” will be released Jan. 2. It can be pre-ordered on Amazon, and she will also be hosting a book launch party Jan. 6 at 3 p.m. in the University Book Store.