How did you balance these literary styles while you wrote the novel? The novel shifts from verse to prose, including the use of recipes as a metaphor. But ultimately, Hannah is Jewish in a different way from anyone else–every Jewish person is!–and the only way that Hannah is ever going to feel confident in who she is as a Jew is if she ignores the other voices around her, and decides what Judaism means to her. She looks to them for guidance, for answers, and at different points in the story, her own opinions on what it means to be Jewish reflect pieces of many different characters’ interpretations. Hannah herself is surrounded by all these characters and more, and through each one of them she absorbs some of their takes on what Judaism is. I wanted Shira to represent the kids I grew up with, who knew they were Jewish but didn’t necessarily know why, or why it was important to them, and I wanted Hannah’s mom to represent some of my worst fears about Judaism–that I don’t fit, and that I’m not wanted. I wanted Vee to represent a more modern, intentional form of Judaism, a form that I associate with my more recent forays into understanding what Judaism means to me. For example, I wanted Grandma Mimi to represent the warm, loving parts of traditional Judaism, the parts that I associate with my own grandparents. When I was writing RECIPE, I wanted the cast of characters that surrounded Hannah to all have different relationships to Judaism. How do Hannah’s relationships help her establish her own Jewish identity?
In RECIPE FOR DISASTER, Hannah’s desire to have a Bat Mitzvah against the wishes of her parents inspires a chain of events with her family and friends. I’m honored to chat with Aimee about the heart of her writing process. Hannah’s realistic journey makes her a believable and thoughtful protagonist. These interactions are poignant but not perfect. The story also explores Hannah’s relationships with her peers and family members, including her beloved grandmother.
Featuring a unique mix of prose and verse, readers follow Hannah as she establishes her own Jewish identity against her parents’ wishes. RECIPE FOR DISASTER ( Versify, 2021) by Aimee Lucido is a tender, relatable, and sometimes raw middle-grade novel.
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