To & Fro
A tale of two girls—one living in a parable, the other in Manhattan.
Ani, journeying across a great distance accompanied by a stolen kitten, meets many people along her way, but her encounters only convince her that she is meant to keep searching. Annamae, journeying from childhood to young adulthood alongside her mother, older brother, and the denizens of her Manhattan neighborhood, never outgrows her yearning for a friend she cannot describe. From their different worlds, Ani and Annamae reach across the divide, perhaps to discover—or perhaps to create—each other.
Told in two mirrored narratives that culminate in a new beginning, To & Fro unleashes the wonders and mysteries of childhood in a profound exploration of identity, spirituality, and community.
Leah Hager Cohen’s magnificent turn-and-read novel To & Fro is a tour de force peek into the wilds and wounds of childhood. . . . With ‘nary an end’ and triumphs aplenty, To & Fro is a luminescent novel that makes treasures of childhood wonder, whose heroines’ curiosity reflects the wisdom of sages.
—Foreword Reviews (starred review)
Whether readers go “to” or “fro,” the journey is worthwhile, and the novel will enchant.
—Library Journal (starred review)
Intriguing and beautiful...This is a novel of questions, philosophical insights, Talmudic stories and the longing for connection.
—Hadassah Magazine, Books to Kvell About
[To & Fro] subvert[ed] my expectations at every stage of the reading process. . . . It is a book about loneliness that ultimately forms a community from its readers. And that is a feat I have not seen before.
Leah Hager Cohen’s new novel dances with lyrical playfulness and emotional depth.
—Jewish Book Council, May 20, 2024
In Annamae [Cohen] creates a character worthy of Judy Blume. But it’s fans of Neil Gaiman and Lewis Carroll who should pay attention; Cohen creates two wondrous, funny, and fantastical worlds. Most impressively, Cohen knows that there is nothing more fantastic than the vastness of a young girl’s mind, and she lets her heroines shine.
—Booklist
Playful and provocative.
—Publishers Weekly
To & Fro is a luminous, charming, and utterly original novel filled with pleasures and provocations at every turn. Through some strange alchemy, Leah Hager Cohen has combined character-driven storytelling with brilliant philosophical forays into what it feels like to decipher the world, honor its mysteries, and stay open to its aches and gifts.
—Elizabeth Graver, author of The End of the Point and Kantika
Leah Hager Cohen’s writing is a wonder. Here are worlds nested inside worlds, each unfolding like a delicate paper staircase leading to destinations unknown. To & Fro is a gorgeous, captivating riddle of a book.
—Rachel Kadish, author of Tolstoy Lied: A Love Story and The Weight of Ink