Tami Sussman, So THAT Happened… but maybe you already knew that, Walker Books Australia, March 2023, 272 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760656010
Be it lemon peel and soil, or potato salad and shaving cream – every family has its own Family Smell, and to Natalie that smell means safety and comfort. Natalie likes things just the way they’ve always been, but she’s almost twelve now and everyone knows that’s a very significant age. As her highly anticipated bat mitzvah approaches Natalie is determined to show everyone just how mature she is (and to throw the best bat mitzvah party in history).
But when her childhood home is sold, her Aunty Sarah disappears, and to make matters worse she no longer seems to have anything in common with her best friend Avi, Natalie can’t help asking herself What happens to the smell when a family is torn apart?
A scrumptiously honest sharing of the exhilarations and anxieties of life as a twelve-year-old girl in Jewish Sydney. This novel crosses generations through its colourful and genuine characters. Bubi, Natalie’s grandmother, is a holocaust survivor who struggles with accepting the changing world and her place in it. Aunty Sarah suffers from depression and addiction, and Natalie picks up on her own parents’ financial worries. Natalie’s best friend Avi doesn’t feel like a girl or a boy, and courageously faces against the heteronormative attitudes and compulsive gendering of their society. Absorbing the anxieties of those around her, Natalie struggles to cope. But with a little support and good advice, Natalie learns how to face her fears and be a mensch.
A hilarious and heartfelt novel with valuable representations, this is a fantastic read for children around 9-12 years old and a great point for discussion on topics such as growing up, gender, discrimination, and religion.
Reviewed by Libby Boas
