“There's nothing as hot as the forbidden!” A Jewish Q&A with YA author Leah Scheier, The Last Words We Said

I read The Last Words We Said by Leah Scheier over the course of one Shabbos. In this story, the mystery of Danny and the night he supposedly died unravels as the characters grieve and recover and try to live their lives. It is modern Orthodox, which we rarely see in any fiction, let alone young adult. Modern Orthodox life is nuanced, varied, and not often portrayed in books or on Netflix. But Scheier does it with ease, narrowing in on the specifics that make it so familiar. When it comes to Jewish fiction, the universality is in the details.

I caught up with Leah Scheier to ask all of the Jewish questions about her heartbreakingly beautiful YA, and she leaves us with a question to consider for ourselves.

Q: Can we start this Q&A with the kippah on the cover of your book, The Last Words We Said? Danny is not only dressed like a contemporary modern Orthodox Jewish teen, he's also wearing a kippah. How did that cover come about and how did you feel when you first saw it?

A: The Last Words We Said is my fourth published novel but it was the first time my publisher asked me for input and suggestions. (Thank you, Ana Jaren and Laura Eckes at Simon&Schuster!) They sent me a mock-up of the cover and when I saw the kippah I freaked out. At first in a good way--(I can't believe there's a teen boy with a kippah on the cover!) And then-- I admit I got a little nervous. What if the kippah alienated non-religious and non-Jewish readers? What if they didn't pick up the novel because they believed it to be a "religion" book that they wouldn't relate to? Thanks to my agent, Rena, who told me, "I would have given anything to have seen a cover like this when I was a teen," I realized that the Jewish rep in this book is something that needs to be cherished and celebrated-- not hidden.

Q: It was so new and refreshing to read a young adult novel featuring modern Orthodox Jewish teens, and you managed to write their lives and struggles with nuance. What were your worries and fears while you wrote these characters and how they would be received? How has the reception been among your non-Jewish readers?

A: This book is very much an #ownvoices story; I myself am modern Orthodox and I raised my daughters in the Atlanta Jewish community. So I was worried that my friends would think I was writing about them! I wasn't-- I would never do that. Thankfully, everyone in my circle appreciates that I wrote a work of fiction that was informed by my experiences and the voices of the teens around me. The reaction from Jewish readers has been so positive! "I saw myself for the first time in this book!" is my favorite compliment. I have heard from non-Jewish readers that they loved the story, that they cried for the characters, and that they enjoyed learning about a community they hadn't known existed.

Q: How much did you draw from your own Jewish life experiences?

A: My daughters were teens when I wrote the novel so their voices and the voices of their friends were rattling about in my head while I was writing.

I drew from my own experience when I wrote about struggling with being shomer negiya (abstinence from romantic touching).

Although I've attended Yom Kippur services my whole life, I made it a point to attend the entire service while I was working on the Yom Kippur scene (no coming in just for neilah that year!) I spent the day repenting for my own sins, while also repenting as Ellie, my main character. I saw the words through her eyes and it made that scene come alive for me.

Q: You use words unfamiliar to the average reader, like "frum" and "musaf" and "siddur." Do you have advice for Jewish writers trying to balance using insider jargon?

A: It's tough. Insider jargon needs to be framed in a way that doesn't confuse the reader-- so it needs to be obvious in context what the word means. And yet, the characters can't explain the expressions to each other because obviously they wouldn't do that in real life. I included a brief glossary at the end for readers who are curious about the exact meaning of the Hebrew and Yiddish words. But flipping back and forth is annoying, so I never included a word that needed to be translated. Once in a while Ellie (the narrator) explained phrases like "frumming out" - but in a jokey way, (she defines it as "becoming more religious than God"). That way the explanation didn't feel clunky and yet the voice stayed authentic. During the initial draft I wrote the dialogue as I knew they would say it-- yiddishisms and all. Then I pared it down to include only what was necessary.

Q: Whether or not to be shomer negiah is such a huge part of modern Orthodox teenage life and it's an integral part of your story. So here's a writing craft question: How have you used physical touch for the plot and character development?

A: Physical touch was a huge driving force for the plot-- as it is in everyday life. In my book, the shomer negiah rules make even the most casual brush of the hand feel electric. Each time I reread the passage when Danny accidentally touches Ellie's neck, I hold my breath. There's nothing as hot as the forbidden!

Q: Each character is so unique. Between Ellie, Deenie, Rae, and Danny, who do you identify with the most? And which character came the most naturally to you to write?

A: I hear the voices of my characters when I write-- and Rae just wouldn't shut up! I love her so much-- her loyalty, her fierceness, her passion-- even her "respectful" rebellion against religion. She was the easiest to write. Personally, I think I am somewhere between Ellie and Rae, but I related to Deenie as well, because I also went through a period of "frumming out," but for different reasons than my character.

Q: Last question! For a lot of Jewish readers, this book might be the first time they truly see themselves in the characters. When was the first time you saw yourself in a book?

A: I'm not sure, actually. As a teen, I never saw Jewish characters in novels that were like me. If they were Jewish, it was generally in name only. Religion, community and tradition were never a part of the plot. I wasn't particularly religious as a teen, but there were aspects of Jewish tradition that were important to me. I never saw any of that reflected in YA. I still haven't seen much discussion of faith (any faith) in YA. (Conviction by Kelly Loy Gilbert is a notable exception which features a character exploring his Christian faith). That was one of the reasons I wrote The Last Words We Said. Whether you are raised religious, agnostic or atheist, deciding what you believe is a major part of growing up. Why do YA novels rarely touch on that important part of adolescence?