‘Sophomore Year Is Greek to Me’ by Meredith Zeitlin was a fantastically addictive read. From chapter to chapter, I found it hard to put it down and go about my day without wondering what would happen to main character Zona next.
Zona Lowell is a high school sophomore, deeply interested in journalism, a love inherited from her father, famous writer David Lowell, of Pulitzer prize fame. She’s been given the job of writing feature articles for her school’s newspaper just as her father decides it’s high time to whisk her away to Greece for a news story he wants to cover in preparation for publishing a book on financial issues in the faraway country. At least it’s far away to Zona, whose whole life is in New York City. Despite her father’s insistence that she should feel a connection with Greece, since her mother is from there and all, Zona’s desire to travel to a far-off land, leaving behind her friends, her feature articles in the school newspaper, and her crush on her editor is anything but strong. She does everything to try to convince her father of how awful an idea this is. Her mother died when she was born, and the family he wants her to meet has never been in contact. They may not even know she exists. It’s too much for her to handle, and with best friends Hillary and Matt on her side, she tries – yet fails – to make her father see that their move is not a good idea. The inevitability of it occurring, though, is not lost on her. A girl has to try, though, right?
Zona’s adventures in Greece start out with a newly discovered cousin, Yiota, and quickly morph into regular classes at a new school. She makes some friends, forms some crushes, learns about Greek nightlife, and explores the city after getting her bearings. Greece may not be so bad after all. However, she has to travel over Easter to visit her mother’s family, and despite having her cousin Yiota to help introduce her and show her the ropes, she is terrified of meeting the people that she has always had it out for – because she feels they have had it out for her, not looking for their daughter and basically disowning her after she married Zona’s father.
Despite some of her family remaining stoic and basically unfazed by her presence, others are warm and welcoming, making her question all she has ever thought about these people who gave up on her mother, and as a result, gave up on knowing Zona herself. Zona learns through her long-lost family that breaking barriers, seeing people for who they really are, and standing up for oneself despite the odds and potential negative outcomes are all important traits for someone to have. All the while, relationships (both family-wise and friend-wise) are tested, and Zona discovers that being a true journalist lies in not just doing the writing, but being the story. By placing herself in the mix, more truth is revealed than she would have ever thought possible.
I highly recommend this fun, entertaining, and smart novel. I can’t wait to read Meredith Zeitlin’s other novel, ‘Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters,’ as it’s surely just as compelling!
You can find ‘Sophomore Year is Greek to Me’ by Meredith Zeitlin here: http://amzn.to/1PznUg5