The Careful Undressing of Love

Description
From School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up—Lorna Ryder is a Devonairre Girl, identifiable by her long hair and the keys she wears around her neck. It's 2008, and she and her mother live in Brooklyn, on Devonairre Street, which has supposedly been cursed ever since World War II, when none of the street's men returned home. Women living on Devonairre are warned from childhood that loving a man or boy will doom him to an early death, and this seems to have come true for Lorna's mother as well as for the other Devonairre women who lost husbands in The Bombings, anonymous terrorist strikes on New York City much like those on 9/11. The accidental death of Jack, the boyfriend of one of the Devonairre Girls, seems only to prove the curse's validity. The young women are told that they must perform certain rituals and behave in certain ways (thus the long hair, the keys, and more) in order to mitigate the curse's effects. But as Lorna and her mother both fall in love, they begin to question whether the curse is real, and they dare to defy the expectations of how they should behave. This is an often lyrical reflection on love, sexuality, death, mourning, and how human beings attempt to rationalize and control tragic events. The elements of magical realism and the beautifully detailed descriptions of an alternate version of New York City make this a standout. VERDICT This complex novel would be a good choice for a book discussion group or for those looking for a substantive, poetic YA read.—Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ
Product Description
The girls of Devonairre Street have always been told they’re cursed. Any boy they love is certain to die too soon. But this is Brooklyn in 2008, and the curse is less a terror and more a lifestyle accessory—something funky and quaint that makes the girls from the shortest street in Brooklyn special. They wear their hair long and keys around their necks. People give them a second look and whisper “Devonairre” to their friends. But it’s not real. It won’t affect their futures.

Then Jack— their Jack, the one boy everyone loved—dies suddenly and violently. And now the curse seems not only real, but like the only thing that matters. All their bright futures have suddenly gone dark.

Fantasia / Jovem adulto