The Forbidden Book

by Sacha Lamb

Overview

Dybbuks.
Illegal printing.
A genderqueer lesbian with a knife.
Set against a backdrop of literary censorship and growing Jewish political consciousness, Sydney Taylor and Stonewall award-winning Sacha Lamb's sophomore novel is a soaring exploration of identity, survival, and ultimately, hope.

On the night before her wedding, 17-year-old Sorel leaps from a window and runs away from her life. To keep from being discovered, she takes on the male identity of Isser Jacobs — but it soon becomes clear that there is a real Isser Jacobs, and people want him dead. Her mistaken identity takes Sorel into the dark underworld of her small city in the Pale of Settlement, where smugglers, forgers, and wicked angels fight for control of the Jewish community. In order to make it out, Sorel must discover who Isser Jacobs really is — and who she wants to be.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646144563
Publisher:	Levine Querido
Publication date:	10/01/2024
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	183,393
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Sacha Lamb is a 2018 Lambda Literary Fellow in young adult fiction, and graduated in Library and Information Science and History from Simmons University. Sacha lives in New England with a miniature dachshund mix named Anzu Bean. Their debut novel, When The Angels Left The Old Country, was named a Printz Honor Book, a Sydney Taylor Award winner and a Stonewall Book Award winner.

Author residence: Cambridge, MA

Editorial Reviews

08/19/2024

It’s the eve of her wedding night when Sorel Kalmans—the 17-year-old daughter of a wealthy Jewish merchant who, along with the Hasidic rebbe, rules her small Russian town of Esrog—heeding the advice of a mystical “shadowy reflection” in her mirror, disguises herself as a boy and flees. But Isser Jacobs, the new name she chooses for herself, is also the name of a man who printed illegal political pamphlets and had secret dealings with her father. Accompanied by a mysterious young man and Adela, Isser’s accomplice—both of whom may or may not be trustworthy—Sorel searches for her namesake, along the way uncovering more about what’s going on in her hometown. As the trio delve deeper into their investigations, Sorel also finds herself drawn to Adela. Throughout, Sorel contends with myriad personal challenges surrounding those she left in Esrog, the life she weaves as Isser, and the future she wants for herself, adding sometimes-meandering complications to her and her companions’ plight. Lamb (When the Angels Left the Old Country) packs their swift sophomore effort with adventure, folklore, and Jewish mysticism: Sorel and her companions must not only confront people who wish them ill but also face existential questions regarding angels and the future. Ages 12–up. Agent: Rena Rossner, Deborah Harris Agency. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"Rooted in Jewish history and brimming with magic, The Forbidden Book is at once a heart-pounding mystery and a poignant tale of identity and found family. Whatever the opposite of forbidden is (mandatory?) that's what The Forbidden Book should be." - Isaac Blum, Morris Award Winning author of The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen

From the Publisher

10/01/2024

Gr 9 Up—When the prospect of marrying into a prominent family feels too dire a reality to withstand, 17-year-old Sorel Kalmans leaps from her window and flees into the unknown. Disguising herself in the stable-boy's clothes and stealing a knife for protection and an impromptu haircut, Sorel takes on the name of Isser Jacobs. Her momentary freedom as Isser is short-lived, however, as it turns out that there is a real-life Isser Jacobs and that undertaking his existence also means taking on his significant troubles. As she navigates the world as Isser, Sorel finds that their lives are far more interconnected than she could have ever imagined. Beyond the chilling and enticing first line, this novel presents many hurdles for readers. Undefined Yiddish words are prominent, excluding all but intermediate to advanced students of the language. A disorienting journey is intensified by the presence of two Issers and a protagonist that goes by three first names. The plot lacks a sense of urgency and momentum, and the characters' motives and desires are unclear. VERDICT Despite the promise of "a genderqueer lesbian with a knife," fans of Lamb's previous work will struggle to connect with an uninspired lead character and a dearth of adventure.—Ingrid Conley-Abrams

School Library Journal

2024-07-19
A girl runs away from her wedding and meets the Angel of Death.

Seventeen-year-old Sorel Kalmans, motherless and wealthy, does not want to marry the rebbe’s son. For one, the young people’s fathers arranged the match to strengthen both their business relationship and the Jewish communities of the (likely) 19th-century Russian town of Esrog and its surrounding shtetlach. More importantly, Sorel doesn’t recognize herself as a blushing bride—when she looks in the mirror, she sees a stranger. So she steals a stableboy’s clothes and runs away. A mysterious young man named Sam helps her survive her new vagabond life, but Isser Jacobs, the false name she chooses at random, also belongs, unfortunately, to a local boy who’s deeply embroiled in Sorel’s father’s licit and illicit business interests. Lamb’s sophomore novel contains fascinating magical elements drawn from Ashkenazi Jewish lore, such as dybbuks, angels, and demons, but confusing timelines and a muted and anticlimactic ultimate reveal weaken the story. Relatedly, Sorel herself is a blank cipher at the center of this slice of Yiddishkeit life, a character who plays others so much that readers never quite learn who she is, what she wants, and what is at the root of her motivation to leave.

An interesting frame for a story that ends up spinning its wheels.(Historical fantasy. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews