A decent debut that explores the tribulations of youth, familial relationships and what it really means to be a Jew in today's world
Margarita is 15 going on 16 and has been sent to stay with her maternal grandparents in Chicago for the summer. It’s the same every year: they smother her with kindness and irritate incessantly with their loud chewing. Except this year, her estranged mother wants to see her in Jerusalem. As if being a teenager wasn’t hard enough – missing her father, home and best friend Anna in Berlin and attempting not to lust after boys who are completely indifferent to her – now she must tackle a new wave of agonising emotions head-on if she’s to survive the holidays.
We also meet Avi, an Israeli cantor living in Berlin and father to Margarita – or Motek (sweetheart), as he calls her in Hebrew. He too struggles with finding his place in the world, stumbling through the language barrier, battling a fear of love after the heartbreak of his wife abandoning him with a toddler, and trying (and often failing) not to be overbearing and overprotective with Margarita.
Both perspectives of father and daughter are interlaced in this debut novel from 29-year-old German author Dana Vowinckel, offering a compelling look at the modern Jewish (broken) family. Similar to her protagonist, Vowinckel was born in Berlin to American-German Jewish parents and spent her childhood between Chicago and her native city. Originally released in 2023 in Germany, where it won a handful of literary awards, Misophonia has now been translated for an English-speaking audience. The descriptions of the cultural diaspora of the differing cities are beautifully informed, but there are numerous Hebrew, Yiddish, Israeli, German and religious Jewish references that, while doing well not to patronise the reader, require either a similar level of knowledge or patience to translate. Perhaps this is an oversight of the translation? The grammar, too, can be confusing at times, jumping from thought to thought and tripping over commas when a full stop would be simpler.
If you can get over those bumps, however, you’re in for a satisfying read, with characters that are as infuriating as they are endearing. The story is true to life. Every outburst, celebration, apology, fear and longing is as visceral as the title implies. Avi, Margarita and Marsha (the frosty, absent mother) don’t develop how you expect them to. Misophonia is a coming-of-age novel, but not just for the teenage lead, also the parents and grandparents, because, in reality, we never stop learning and growing. This isn’t a Hollywood tale, after all, it’s an authentic snapshot of life.
By Danielle Goldstein
Misophonia by Dana Vowinckel, translation by Adrian Nathan West, is out now in hardback (HarperVia, £20; paperback out June 2026). harpercollins.co.uk