First published 2000
Eliza Naumann considers herself ordinary in a house full of exceptional people. Her father Saul studies Jewish mysticism with single-minded devotion. Her brother Aaron carries their father's spiritual hopes. Her mother Miriam practices law with brilliant detachment. Then Eliza wins her school spelling bee, then the district competition. Suddenly Saul sees divine purpose in his youngest child. He pulls her into his private world of sacred texts and ancient wisdom. Aaron loses his favored position and searches for meaning elsewhere. The family's careful balance tips toward chaos when Miriam's hidden activities explode into the open. Eliza finds herself responsible for holding everyone together as she advances toward the National Spelling Bee. The bright stage lights and crushing expectations await, but the real test happens at home. Goldberg traces each family member's journey with precise observation. She captures the small humiliations and unexpected triumphs that reshape a child's world. This story examines how success can destroy as easily as failure, and how families fracture along invisible fault lines.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, american-fiction, coming-of-age, family-drama, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: chosen-one, family-drama, found-family
288 pages · Hardcover · Doubleday