Gravity, Leanne Lieberman

Lieberman, Leanne (2008).
Gravity
Victoria, B.C. : Orca Book Publishers
9781554690497
Genre: Realistic Fiction

Afraid that there is no way to be both gay and Jewish, Ellie Gold, an orthodox Jewish teenager feels forced to either alter her sexuality or leave her Jewish community until her mother and sister offer alternative concepts of God that help Ellie find a place for herself.
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Ellie Gold is an Orthodox Jew who struggles with her sexual identity. She strictly adheres to all of the tenets of her religion-even when she spends her summer with her grandmother who barely follows the religion. In fact, it is Ellie who says all of the prayers and sings all of the songs and even maintains a kosher diet when she and her grandmother spend their vacation in a rented cabin in the mountains. Ellie’s inner struggle becomes a physical reality when she meets Lindsay, a beautiful, wealthy non-Jewish girl. The two spend time exploring the mountain area and share a passionate kiss. However, Lindsay leaves without saying goodbye. Ellie returns to her home unsure of what actually happened. As time passes, Ellie unsuccessfully tries to contact Lindsay. All the while Ellie torments herself with the conflict of her religion and her feelings; she secretly bites the inside of her cheek repeatedly and pulls out her hair so that she has a bald spot. Ellie’s older sister, Neshama, a liberal student who balks at the family’s adherence to the religion cannot wait to graduate and escape to university. Neshama eventually realizes that Ellis is gay and tries to help Ellie accept herself. As Ellie struggles with her feelings, she reconnects with Lindsay and the two schedule their illicit meetings weekly. They spend time together lovemaking and watching television. Lieberman introduces another plotline to reinforce Ellie’s questioning of her religion as her mother is banished from their temple because she sings too loudly. Ellie’s father, the usual patriarch of the family, forces Ellie and Neshama to tell their mother that she must go to a different temple. Lieberman includes quite a bit of information about the Jewish religion-going into detail about specific rituals. While her characters may question the validity of the religion, Lieberman still maintains respect for the religion. Ultimately, Ellies realizes that Lindsay isn’t truly in love with her. She also realizes that she can take what she needs from her religion to live a fulfilled and complete life. In fact, Ellie is convinced there is a nice Jewish girl waiting to be met by her; why else would she share a secret smile with the girl in temple?