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Title: You Just Can't Make the Mennonites "Fun"
Review: Nomi is a senior in high school in Canada - in East Village , a Mennonite town. She and her father are living alone now, her mother and sister, Tash, having left a while back. Her uncle is the minister and her boyfriend, Travis seems totally disconnected. Eventually, Nomi is excommunicated and her father also leaves, giving Nomi the chance to escape - to try and piece together a life out of the odd pieces she has had up to now. We leave Nomi not knowing what she does or what happened to her family.Reading the book flaps, I thought I would be reading a funny story about a Mennonite teen who yearns for modern comforts. Instead, I had a 246 page philosophy ramble. You are never told what happened to Trudie and Tasg or whether Ray is nuts, having a breakdown, going bankrupt or just quirky. What is up with Travis - is he married or a teen too? Why doesn't Nomi go to school? And why was she excommunicated instead of shunned? A totally confusing journey to nowhere.
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