THE SHIKSA SYNDROME

Be careful what you wish for, your dreams (literally) may come true. Aimee Albert, New York City publicist, who is Jewish to the core, is treated to a makeover, which leaves her hair red, straight, and looking very non-Jewish. Hillary Huber reads this story of mistaken identities with lots of energy and enthusiasm. In her new 'do, Aimee attends a kosher wine-tasting with her Gentile co-worker and meets Josh Hirsch, who is handsome and Jewish. He thinks both women are shiksas, and neither corrects him. From there the plot becomes even more tangled in self-deception and outright lies. Huber pronounces Yiddish and Hebrew like a goy, which is jarring when the words come from the Jewish characters. This weakness adds an additional problem to Graff's humorous yet offensive love story. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2009]