WHERE IS NOEMI?

In Williams’ novel, a teenage girl attempts to find her missing sister while maintaining the secrets they keep.

High school sophomore Jasmin Hobson and her older sister, Noemi, don’t have the freedom that most other teenagers have. They both live under their mother’s strict rules; among other things, they can’t have cell phones (as their mom insists they’re “spy tools”); they’re rarely allowed to leave the house (as their mom thinks they’ll get pregnant); they’re not allowed to invite anyone over; and most importantly, they must always stick together, wherever they go, “no matter what.” Noemi, however, likes to break the rules. She secretly invites boys into the house, wears forbidden makeup and styles of clothing, and frequently takes Jasmin out to places and then ditches her. So when Noemi goes missing, Jasmin is put in a tight spot. She can’t tell the truth about her sister’s secret activities, she thinks, because she’ll get in trouble, too, so she decides to try to find Noemi herself. In alternating “Then” and “Now” sections, Williams portrays the turbulent relationship between two siblings who don’t like each other very much, even though their mother thinks they’re best friends. There’s a powerful moment at a police station soon after Noemi’s disappearance, where her mom must argue that “not ALL black girls run away.” Also, the strict nature of the household is intriguing, but readers may find hard to sympathize with the girls, as they learn little else about them, and very little happens over the course of the story. Noemi is portrayed mostly as cruel to Jasmin, which makes for an engaging dynamic but may make it difficult for readers to care about Noemi. Homemade recipe instructions for kids are included between chapters with no explanation, and an abrupt ending lacks a feeling of closure.

A story with an intriguing premise that’s hampered by a lack of character development.