By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

Our lives often take us in unexpected directions. Even those who firmly believe their path is set can realize that something is missing in their lives, even if they can’t define exactly what that is. Two recent novels – “To and Fro” by Leah Hager Cohen (Bellevue Literary Press) and “California Dreaming” by Noa Silver (She Writes Press) – offer characters searching for meaning in lives that have taken unexpected turns. 

Cohen’s novel features an unusual format: it contains two separate works, leaving readers to piece together the connections between them. Open the book on one side and you can read the novel called “To”; flip the work over and you’ll find a completely different novel called “Fro.” The book opens with an invitation to read its two sections in any order, although reading them in reverse order would create a different experience. I decided to start with “To,” which is a parable that takes place in an unknown world and time, and concluded with “Fro,” which takes place in contemporary America. There are hints that characters in “To” might be Jewish, although that’s not completely clear. However, in “Fro,” Judaism (and a rabbi) plays a role in the characters’ lives. 

“To” begins with a young girl named Ani deciding to follow the Captain, the man who owns the farm/estate (its exact nature is unclear) where she lives. However, Ani is not related to the Captain: readers later learn why Ani and her mother were forced to leave their original home and how they came to live on his farm. Readers follow Ani’s journey, which, while interesting, doesn’t seem to have a real purpose other than to introduce characters who teach her a variety of lessons. She also brings a kitten with her, something that allows her to take care of someone beyond herself. There is one section where Ani stays with a group that gathers to study that reminded me of a yeshiva, although that is never specifically mentioned. What becomes clear is that Ani is searching for something, but is not exactly certain what she is looking for and why she feels the need to continue her travels. 

Annamae Galinsky is the main character in “Fro.” She lives with her mother and brother in New York City, but does not feel settled, even though she has their support. Exactly what she is searching for is never made completely clear, except for her feeling that there is some unknown someone who should be her friend. Annamae does find people who help her, including a rabbi who tells her stories and parables to better help her understand herself. The most interesting section deals with Annamae’s refusal to write fiction for her English class because she doesn’t feel it is fair to control her characters’ destinies. In fact, she wonders if she is someone’s invention, which plays with the nature of writing stories, including the one Cohen is telling.

The two sections of “To and Fro” have no real conclusion because each ending leads you to the other story. The characters’ journeys never really finish, but yet still manage to be satisfying. Readers do have to accept the open-endedness of the work and its physical nature, which sometimes feels more like a gimmick, rather than an integral part of the story. This is not a book for readers who prefer a simple beginning, middle and end to a story. More adventures readers, though, may be intrigued by the daring nature of the book. 

While what characters in “To and Fro” were searching for was not completely clear, Elena Berg, the narrator of “California Dreaming,” knew exactly what she wanted to do. In 2011, she moved from New England to the Bay Area to work as an English teacher for Teach for America. She wanted to share her love of poetry and literature with underprivileged students, partly because her mother and Holocaust survivor grandfather are master teachers. However, her decision to teach in California is partly based on the fact that, decades before, her mother lived there, experiencing a wild, hippy youth filled with free love.

Teaching turns out to be far more difficult than Elena expected. She has little control over her class and finds her students less than interested in poetry since few have the reading skills necessary. Frustrated and feeling unappreciated, she is invited by a former teacher for Teach for America to work for an education technology start-up. At first, she is excited by the work they are doing because she believes it will help students. But it’s not long before the technology moves in a different direction and Elena must choose what she wants to do with her life. Affecting her decision is the 2016 election (the characters never expected Donald Trump to win) and the increasing number of wildfires in California. Whether she is simply trying to duplicate her mother’s life or finding her own path is something she must ponder. 

Older readers will be reminded of The Mamas and the Papas song “California Dreaming” (which I sang while reading and thinking about the novel) and may reflecting on how much life has changed since the 1960s and ‘70s. Younger readers will note how myths of the past can rarely come to fruition decades later. Elena is an interesting character who discovers that the dream she had of herself may not match the reality of who she really is. That is a lesson many readers will appreciate.