Shopping- This book is awesome! The characters face a lot of obstacles and hardship, but the ending is sweet and satisfying. Margo, her brother Hanan, and a mixed-race orphan named Joey, form a perfect trio of friends alone in the world except each other. They bravely fight against the apartheid regime in South Africa, fighting injustice through a mixed-race rock band with lyrics that challenge the government, even when they suffer for it. They are all separated by tragic events, and the plot turns in unexpected directions.
Margo, forced to flee the country, ends up in Israel in seminary, and discovers her Jewish heritage (this is not your typical starry-eyed baalas teshuva story either- “oh the kosel is so moving now ive found god all my problems are solved” no, it is much more interesting and nuanced than that.) There is also a lot of philosophical discussion throughout the book (the author is obviously familiar with R’ Noach Weinberg, Rabbi Keleman, and similar hashkafos), but the Jewish thoughts are not always heard from the characters you think it’ll be.
For all the people who complain about all Jewish novels being the same, all my friends who’ve read this agree with me that this is one of the most original ones out there. Read it and see.