Emi Watanabe Cohen’s sophomore novel travels from the most awkward surface tensions to the beautiful depths of Jewish culture and lore for a tale of magical and emotional discovery.

Faye has a tough time concentrating in School. It’s easier to be silent and fade into the woodwork than take on the challenges of kids at school who mock her biracial heritage, and her competitive family at home, none of whom are good listeners. Except possibly for her brother Shiloh, who tries to speak extra so she doesn’t have to. (Maybe a bit too much extra?)They have a private made up language that they call “Effalese” which is Japanese (from one side of the family) written in Hebrew letters (from the other side of the family.) And a thousand inside jokes.

But the family dynamic is shattered when their uncle and cousin from the Jewish side arrive unannounced to say that it’s time the children learn the secret family magic: Golem Crafting. And it seems Faye DOES have a gift for it, even more so than Shiloh. But will it truly be the thing that makes Faye feel whole? And will it heal the bitter rifts in the family?

Emi Watanabe Cohen wrote her first novel when she was 12 years old — the most complete draft she can find clocks in at 234,780 words. That's over 1,000 pages! Thankfully, her editing skills have improved since then. Her more recent work involves Jewish and/or Japanese folklore, complicated families, and a dash of improbable magic. She is a graduate of Brandeis University, where she studied Creative Writing. The Lost Ryū is her debut novel.