Au Revoir Crazy European Chick

Joe Schreiber’s young adult novel Au Revoir Crazy European Chick tells the story of Perry, who is very much looking forward to his prom night after the anticipation has been building for months. Anticipating a wild night with friends, he is finally ready to play an important gig with his friends. He is sure that it is going to be a night to remember. The novel is a teenage coming-of-age adventure story that sees Perry gallivanting across New York City, living out the night he never dreamed of, but won’t soon forget.

As the novel opens, the reader is introduced to Perry Stormaire, high school senior whose entire life lies ahead of him. Perry believes that he has everything figured out: he has submitted applications at all of the country’s top universities, and his band, Inchworm, is on the precipice of making it big. Perry is envisioning a future where he gets a call from Columbia welcoming him as a new student, and he is very much looking forward to his band’s first big gig. However, Perry’s big-time lawyer father is not quite so optimistic, attempting to keep his son’s head out of the clouds. All in all, things are moving along smoothly for Perry. That is until his parents inform him that there will be a Lithuanian exchange student living with them for the duration of his senior year.

At first, Perry envisions this foreign exchange student to be a bikini-clad model type who is instantly taken with Perry and insists on teaching him new things that he would not have encountered in his limited existence on American soil. However, when she finally arrives, Perry is disappointed to find that she is nothing like the girl he has been envisioning. Gobija Zaksauskas, or Gobi, is a short and stocky girl with a pale complexion, thick glasses, and her hair piled high on her head in a bun. Gobi moves into the house and Perry pays her no mind, with little interaction occurring between them throughout the year. Perry is sure that he and Gobi couldn’t possibly have anything in common, and he has started counting down the days until she leaves.



Perry’s senior prom is fast approaching, but Perry has decided that prom is for losers and he has no intention of attending. Instead, Perry’s band is scheduled to play their first big show in New York City. Rife with anticipation, Perry is sure this is the moment that will change his life. That is, until he finds out that his mother has other plans. Perry’s mother crushes him when she delivers the news that Perry is to bring Gobi to the prom.

Perry is mortified at the thought of walking into his school with Gobi as his date, decked out in a ceremonial Lithuanian costume, but knows better than to argue with his mother. Gobi assures Perry that it will be a night that he will never forget. After they leave Perry’s parents’ house, Gobi insists they skip prom, instructing Perry to take her to downtown Manhattan. She convinces Perry that they should skip the school dance and go clubbing instead. Perry is dumbfounded, and without knowing what else to do, starts driving in the direction of Manhattan.

At the first club, Gobi transforms from dumpy foreign exchange student to hot model. It seems that she has transformed not only physically, but that she has taken on a completely new persona, one that intrigues Perry. She exudes confidence, and Perry is excited about what lies ahead. However, Perry soon realizes that Gobi is not looking to party, but is using it as an excuse to execute her master plan: to get revenge on everyone who has ever wronged her. Fascinated by Gobi’s transformation, Perry remains under her spell even as he finds himself behind the wheel of the getaway car.



One by one, Gobi starts picking off the people who ruined her former life. Unsure of what to do or where to go, Perry tags along for what he is certain will be an unforgettable night. Along the way, he meets ruthless killers, dim-witted cops, and let’s not forget the mysterious Gobi. She starts challenging everything Perry has done in life, leaving him with more questions than answers.

As Gobi takes Perry along for the ride, she also shows him something he has been missing in his own life, a sense of adventure and a drive to pursue one’s true passion, even if it is murderous revenge. Perry realizes that he has been playing it safe up until now, and when Gobi leaves, he resolves never to forget the night they shared together, and to carry with him the lessons she has passed along.