The Book Nook: ‘How to Excavate a Heart’ is a Jewish, lesbian rom-com full of humor and warmth
By Layla Noor Landrum | November 3Jake Maia Arlow’s debut young adult novel, “How to Excavate a Heart," is a warm and tender lesbian rom-com released Nov. 1 from HarperCollins. A Jewish lesbian, Shani, plans to spend her winter break after her first semester of college studying fish fossils at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, not thinking about her recent breakup with her ex-girlfriend. Things get off to a rough start when she and her mother almost hit a pedestrian while trying to navigate Washington, D.C. roads in the snow, but luckily no one is harmed. Shani’s internship begins; she moves into a house with other college students and an old woman who calls them “doll” and begins getting to know her housemates. So, when she agrees to do one of them a favor and take over their dog-walking gig for a few weeks, she doesn’t think much of it. That is until she comes face to face with May — the girl her mother almost ran over. As Shani finds herself coming to May’s house in order to walk May’s father’s corgi, the two inevitably learn more about each other. Shani comes to find out that May is a Jewish lesbian too, and she’s just as passionate about atmospheric science as Shani is about paleoichthyology. While the two don’t get along at first, they’re forced to spend Christmas Eve together due to inclement weather, and they find themselves growing closer as a result. As Shani finds herself falling for May, she can’t help but worry about the risk of heartbreak in the aftermath of her ex-girlfriend’s harsh rejection.
