Review: Inconvenience by Margie Gelbwasser

Title: Inconvenient
By: Margie Gelbwasser
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Publisher: Flux Books (November 2010)
My Copy: Early Review Copy from Publisher
BookWhisperer Rating:

Description:
In fifteen-year-old Alyssa Bondar’s Russian-Jewish culture, having a few drinks is as traditional as blinchiki and piroshki. So when her mom’s midday cocktails turn into an all-day happy hour, it seems like Alyssa’s the only one who notices—or cares. Her dad is steeped in the nightly news—and denial—and her best friend Lana is too busy trashing their shared Russian heritage so she can be popular.
Alyssa would rather focus on cross-country meets and her first kiss with her running partner, Keith, but someone has to clean up her mom’s mess. But who will be there to catch Alyssa when her mom’s next fall off the wagon threatens to drag her down, too?

Inconvenience is a brutal and honest truth for a young Russian Girl living with her alcoholic mother. Gelbwasser gives readers a very active writing style from page one. This is novel that will reach out and grab the readers pulling you through page after page with little effort. I sympathize with this young girl on so many levels. First, there is the lack of attention to what her life is becoming to cover up the "inconveniences" of her mother. Second, is that more concern appears spent on what others will think of their situation. This child is living through issues that will cause lifelong scars, and this family seems more interested if the neighbor is scoping out their trash cans for liquor bottles. I found myself cheering on Alyssa's father when he finally grasps what kind of situation this child is living. The best decision in this books entirity was the decision to move himself and Alyssa out. An added bonus was wrapped up in this quick intense story. A sweet love story begins building between Alyssa and her long time friend. This was perfect, but I began to wonder about halfway through if I had misjudged his character. I was estatic to find that I was wrong about him, and that his own family issues seemed to be hindering his decisions. Adding the romance distraction seemed to add an upbeat moment for the readers, and overall changing the content of the story. This was no longer a sad and tragic tale of a daughter with her alcoholic mother; adding in this romance seems to twist to an empowering story for this young girl. Alyssa is having to break free from the inner child in this novel. On several occurrences Gelbwasser shows that inner struggle for this her, and what it takes not to jump on mommy's lap when you know she is wrong. I love the ending of Inconvenience it was not the traditional happily ever after, but a ending with hope. A glimpse of what is possible, and that change is on the horizon. I almost think that endings like these are better than happily ever afters. With a hope ending anything is possible, and it leaves the reader to imagine their own conclusions. This was an awesome novel that I would highly recommend.