Young Jane Young: A Novel

When Aviva Grossman is twenty-two, she scores an internship with a respected congressman in south Florida, and she finds she adores the world of politics. She excels as an intern, winning more responsibility–and the married congressman’s attention. Young and romantic, Aviva falls into a torrid affair that is, of course, discovered. Slut-shamed, her life in ruins, Aviva finds that youthful mistakes have a way of haunting an entire existence. Her mother, Rachel, predicted the tragedy and is rewarded by losing Aviva altogether. Nearly a decade later, Aviva’s daughter, Ruby, discovers the truth about her mother–and sets out to confront the man she believes is her father, a radical act that will challenge the Grossman women to face the past and move beyond it once and for all.

Told from four points of view, in five nearly stand-alone segments, the sordid affair is recounted and regretted, its effects reaching far beyond just the intern and the congressman at the heart of the scandal. Though Aviva’s fate is heartbreaking, Zevin is a witty guide, and there is plenty to laugh about in this novel–including Ruby’s outraged emails to an Indonesian pen pal and the overwrought culture of the wedding industry. This is a light-hearted book about youthful mistakes that are heavy enough to cause permanent damage.