Roma Turbin is fourteen years old. Everything is heightened, the world is being tested for falsehood and failing, the immutable is crumbling, the familiar is breaking, the new is frightening. "Yes, Mom, I'm a sensor. A faulty touchscreen..." Parents who won't understand. A friend with whom everything is difficult. Teachers who make a big deal out of nothing. And she, the stranger from the trolleybus in an elven hat and with a bag that says "I'm not Pushkin." Ruslan and Lyudmila will help Roma find her, find himself, and survive the crisis. Only these aren't Pushkin heroes, but Chilean squirrels from a pet store. Eva Nemes's new text is written in rhythmic prose—perhaps the best form for reaching 14-year-old sensors who need to hear: you are not alone, and you can do this. Eva Nemeš is a three-time winner of the Kniguru Prize and the Book of the Year Award (2023). Her stories "Subtitles" and "Turn Off the Spelling" were published in Samokat.
5 reasons to buy the book "Sensor":
Roma Turbin is a modern teenager. He's complex and sensitive. The action takes place in the present day, in a recognizable, understandable reality.
- An easy text about the difficult period of growing up – for children who read and those who don’t;
- This is a rhythm novel, it is written in rhythmic prose and supplemented with funny drawings in the margins;
- The author speaks the language of teenagers. Winner of the 2023 Book of the Year Award in the Generation Next category;
- Farewell to childhood, meeting your first love, the complexities of friendship, generational conflict, finding yourself—all the important themes for 14-year-olds under one cover.
INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR:
Scooter: Do you agree with the opinion that adolescence is the most difficult time of a person’s entire life?
Eva Nemesh: Adolescence has many characteristics: complex, dangerous, anxious, unpleasant, and so on. I would call this period challenging. Why? You simply have to make choices and important decisions too often, and that's not easy. Your path is full of crossroads, the direction isn't always clear, there's no map. Which way to go: left, right, forward? Should you stop? Or even turn back? Constant forks in the road make for a truly challenging story.
Scooter: How are teenagers today different from anyone else, or perhaps from teenagers 30 years ago?
EN: They have the internet and smartphones. And that's the main difference from which all others emerge: easy access to information, a variety of hobbies, and life in the virtual world. Modern teenagers are also not afraid to set bold goals, talk more about their feelings, and aren't embarrassed by laziness :)
Scooter: How did the idea for Sensor come about?
EN: It all started with a draft of the chapter "Yellow" – I wrote a poem while watching suburban school buses. A story began to unfold about a teenager from a small town or village. How did he end up there? Was he born there or moved there? What is his family like? Who are his friends? What are his interests? And so, last New Year's break, realizing I was ready to start putting the scattered puzzle together, I wrote the chapter "Application," in which the main character, Roma Turbin, introduces himself on January 3rd while recording a video for a school project. Thus, the greeting "Hello everyone!" began a story whose ending was completely unclear at the time. The text quickly took on a life of its own. The plot was woven with observations, personal experiences, and students' stories – for example, about Chilean squirrels that were bought without permission and hidden in a room.
Scooter: What is the novel about?
EN: About how a fourteen-year-old explores the world around him and himself within it. And also about how he falls stunningly and painfully in love.
Scooter: And why rhythm novel?
EN: In the manuscript, I designated the genre as "poem" because I couldn't find the right word. Rap wasn't an option either, and "Sensor" isn't rap at all. So, it was difficult to come up with a genre until the phrase "rhythm novel" came to mind—something between poetry and prose. "Novel" certainly sounds grand, but the main character's name justifies it all :)
Scooter: What will a 14-year-old find important and interesting in Sensor?
EN: I hope both the story itself and the way it's told will be interesting. The important things are personal. Some will recognize themselves in the main character, others will analyze their relationships with their parents, others will recall the thrill of their first crush or the day they met their best friend. I think the text has many hooks that can catch your attention. Often, readers discover things in the book that the author didn't even suspect. But what I'm sure of is that after reading it, many will Google what Chilean squirrels look like :)
Scooter: Can a novel be enjoyed by those who hate reading? What would you say to children and teenagers who don't read books?
EN: For teenagers who don't read, I'd suggest flipping through "Sensor." Even if the text doesn't grab you, you'll definitely love the pictures—they're stunning! :)
