The Opposite of Hallelujah

by Anna Jarzab

Overview

Does one sister’s past change another sister’s future?

Caro Mitchell considers herself an only child—and she likes it that way. After all, her older sister, Hannah, left home eight years ago, and Caro barely remembers her. So when Hannah returns to live with them, Caro feels as if an interloper is crashing her family. To her, Hannah’s a total stranger who refuses to talk about her life or why she went away. Caro can’t understand why her parents cut her sister so much slack, and why they’re not pushing for answers.
Angry and upset, Caro resorts to telling lies about her sister’s mysterious reappearance. But when those lies alienate her new boyfriend and put her on the outs with her friends and parents, she seeks solace from an unexpected source. And when she unearths a clue about Hannah’s past, Caro begins to see her sister in a whole new light.

"Jarzab packs a lot into this story, questions of faith and forgiveness, science and religion, mental illness, guilt and possible redemption, as well as simple high school drama. But at its heart, this is a story about sisters."—Booklist, starred

"A layered meditation on family and belief that will ring true for faith-questing teens."—Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780375855290
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	10/08/2013
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	464
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

ANNA JARZAB is the author of All Unquiet Things and Tandem. She lives in New York City and works in children’s book publishing. Visit her at annajarzab.com or follow @ajarzab on Twitter.

Editorial Reviews

"Jarzab packs a lot into this story, questions of faith and forgiveness, science and religion, mental illness, guilt and possible redemption, as well as simple high school drama. But at its heart, this is a story about sisters."—Booklist, starred

"A layered meditation on family and belief that will ring true for faith-questing teens."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

A teenage girl comes to terms with her sister's secret past and her own spirituality in this sophomore title by the author of All Unquiet Things (2010). Eight years ago, 16-year-old Caro's older sister Hannah left home to join a convent, and Caro hasn't had much of a relationship with her or God since. "[After] Hannah left, God stayed up in the attic, like the toys and old clothes I'd outgrown that my mother couldn't bring herself to part with." But now, Hannah is coming home after telling the Sisters of Grace that she is renouncing her vows, and Caro couldn't be more angry and confused. She lies to her friends and new boyfriend about Hannah's prolonged absence and fights with her parents constantly. It is only after she understands the tragic reason why Hannah is so sad and withdrawn that she begins to open up to the idea of making a new connection with her sister. Though the author takes many, many pages to reveal Hannah's secret, it is time well-spent, providing nuanced characterizations of not only conflicted Caro, but of her troubled parents and her kindly, philosophical priest, Father Bob. It's a rare teen novel that both tackles religion and creates fully realized adult characters, and Jarzab handles it all gracefully. A layered meditation on family and belief that will ring true for faith-questing teens. (Fiction. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews