Sotah by Naomi Ragan

Shopmiami49

Thu, Apr 11 2013, 4:43 am

A non-frum cousin of mine emailed me about this book that she just finished reading and had some questions about it.

For her background: Her mother (my aunt) is Jewish and her father is not. Her sister is Atheist and her brother is still searching for true meaning in life. She herself was married at one point to a non-Jewish African and is since then divorced and living together with her non-Jewish boyfriend.

I want to be careful about how I answer her and I do not know anything about this book. Has anyone ever heard of it?

She specifically said " It was recommended to me by an elderly jewish lady that I visit and its about the Misnagid and Hasidim Jews. I'm still not totally clear on the differences and why? Can you explain it to me?"

Please help me with this one...

Thanks Smile

Raisin

Thu, Apr 11 2013, 5:02 am

It's fiction. Its about a sweet, aidel girl from a litvish family who gets married, not to a learning boy because her parents can't offer enough money, but to a working man. (a carpenter) He adores her and they have a baby and a seemingly perfect life.

(meanwhile other stuff is going on, like her younger sister rebelling and dating a guy from a chassidic family)

The her lowlife neighbour notices her and starts seducing her. Shes just lost her mother and is feeling that her husband is inadequate because he works, so somehow, despite up to this point being the perfect By girl, she is receptive to his advances and they start meeting. Finally she agree to go away with him to a beach resort. meanwhile there is some sinister tznius patrol who gets pictures of her in a bikini holding this guys hand. They show the pictures to her husband and tell her she has to leave her husband. They spirit her off to America where she is sent to work as an aupair for a secular jewish family. Of course the poor girl is completely confused by the badly behaved children, tv, etc.

Eventually she comes to realise that since she never actually slept with the man she is a not a sotah and goes back to her all forgiving husband. (She also finds out her seducer is living life completely as before, nothingn has happened to him.) And they live happily ever after.

There is not much in it about chassidim - Dinas family are strong litvaks so the whole kollel lifestyle is very important. Hers sister dates a (rebellious) chassid.

tzfatisha

Thu, Apr 11 2013, 6:53 am

imho it's not very well written.
she has a beef about haredi society (I'm not haredi) and she got found guilty in the israeli courts of plagerism for another book she wrote about the frum world...
so I don't have a very high opinion of her as a writer... eg she has some chapters which are take place over a day or two .. and other ones which cover several years in a few paragraphs.. that sort of unbalanced writing I hate..
but if you want a fast read .... ok
there are other, better books and better writers...

Raisin

Thu, Apr 11 2013, 6:58 am

Shes not a very good writer but quite readable. I think the character of dina makes no sense. Shes portrayed as quite a tzadekes but then runs around in a bikini?

the main negativity towards chareidim in this book is a) the financial aspect of shidduchim and b) the vaad hatznius.

freidasima

Thu, Apr 11 2013, 7:08 am

Raisin you should write synopses of books for a living. You really give it well in a nutshell!
I remember reading the book and being impressed more by the vehemence than the story.
The author definitely has an axe to grind, and it's simple fiction, not well developed characters but a fast good read if you want something simplistic with an author that has an axe to grind.

Isramom8

Thu, Apr 11 2013, 7:38 am

Alert your cousin to the overwhelming evidence that the author is a self-hating Jew and consistently writes very negatively about the religious community.

(The poster above's description that Dina was not a Sotah is not accurate. But neither is the category of Sotah for the character in the story.)

grace413

Thu, Apr 11 2013, 9:43 am

Raisin, excellent synopsis.

OP, does your cousin want to know about differences between misnagdim and chasidim in general, or does she want to know more about the interactions of the characters in the book?

Ragen's book are certainly page-turners but there is a distinct line of "being Charedi is not good and being MO is good" which I find very distasteful - and I'm MO.

Isramom8

Thu, Apr 11 2013, 10:34 am

grace413 wrote:

Actually, in The Saturday Wife she goes after the MO. In a funny way, though. I am so annoyed that I keep reading her books because she writes well. If I could write like her I'd write in a much more positive way, though!

robynm

Thu, Apr 11 2013, 10:36 am

Isramom8 wrote:

grace413 wrote:

I've also read all her books. They are quite addicting.

grace413

Thu, Apr 11 2013, 10:52 am

Isramom8 wrote:

grace413 wrote:

Haven't read that one. I think negative stuff sells more books than positive stuff.

Shopmiami49

Thu, Apr 11 2013, 11:54 am

grace413 wrote:

What I quoted is exactly what she asked. If I were to guess, I would think that because she is so close to my parents and family and has seen firsthand the way frum Orthodox Jews (in her mind, the Hasidim) act towards all the non-frum and non-Jewish members of our extended family with love, acceptance, and respect, she is probably confused. She probably is looking for some understanding of how such behavior exists within Judaism since we don't seem to match that profile. It sounds like she is looking for an opening for a discussion.

I really appreciate everyone's input and if there is anything that anyone else has to add, I would love to hear!

Barbara

Thu, Apr 11 2013, 12:10 pm

Isramom8 wrote:

grace413 wrote:

Yes, but otherwise the theme does seem to be "Charedim BAD. MO GOOD. Turn away from the dark side, oh ye Black Hatters." Which would be fine as the theme of one story, but not as the centerpiece of every book. IOW, I agree with Grace413.

sequoia

Thu, Apr 11 2013, 12:29 pm

She's not a self-hating Jew!!!!! If she were, would she be frum? She is a frum, modern Orthodox woman and writer. Yes, really, really.

She has also improved as a writer tremendously over the years. Her recent books are marvelous -- none of the awkward simplicity of her earlier works.

Lastly, anyone who wants to call her a self-hating Jew should read "The Covenant," about terrorism and the Shoah, and see how it breathes with love for EVERY Jew and for Eretz Yisroel. You won't have a dry eye by the time you're done reading.

As for "The Saturday Wife," like I said in another thread, it's a brilliant Swiftian satire. I've read it numerous times with great pleasure.

In conclusion, she is a good writer and far from hating herself or anyone else, she is an honest writer who addresses problems in our communities.