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emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Raizl is a young Hasidic woman who expects to get married and fulfill her family's expectations like many other Hasidic women her age. But her addiction to porn and adventures in her college classes make her worry that she won't ever be able to find a good marriage match or stay true to her family and their religion.
As someone who is Jewish, I am always excited about Jewish media that isn't centered on the Holocaust and the cover did the selling itself, without even reading the summary. But to be completely honest I'm not sure how I feel about this book. And not that there shouldn't be books out there just for Jewish readers, but this book would also be hard to recommend to a non-Jew, even with the glossary in the back I think. Between the Yiddish and the Jewish culture, there's a lot that would mean flipping back and forth throughout the entire book. I did also find it funny how Raizl's reaction to the English words for genitalia was the reverse of how I felt about reading the Yiddish words.
I liked that it challenged religion and sexuality and a women's place in a strict and traditional religion. I also liked that it didn't end with Raizl running away and leaving Judaism behind. There are lots of things to be critical of in Hasidism, but I feel like so many stories end with people shunning Judaism, it was a nice change of pace for Raizl to stay in the end. But that doesn't change that it also didn't seem like Raizl was truly happy in the end or had a solid resolution to her conflict and it was more of a settling or coming to terms than being at ease with herself.
There were also some plot points that I think would have been a lot more interesting to have touched on more, like Yossi's brief moment with dressing up for Purim or how racism is pretty prevalent in the Jewish community. I know those weren't the focus of the book, but they drew my attention more than Raizl's "addiction" to porn.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for for making this title available in exchange for an honest review!
As someone who is Jewish, I am always excited about Jewish media that isn't centered on the Holocaust and the cover did the selling itself, without even reading the summary. But to be completely honest I'm not sure how I feel about this book. And not that there shouldn't be books out there just for Jewish readers, but this book would also be hard to recommend to a non-Jew, even with the glossary in the back I think. Between the Yiddish and the Jewish culture, there's a lot that would mean flipping back and forth throughout the entire book. I did also find it funny how Raizl's reaction to the English words for genitalia was the reverse of how I felt about reading the Yiddish words.
I liked that it challenged religion and sexuality and a women's place in a strict and traditional religion. I also liked that it didn't end with Raizl running away and leaving Judaism behind. There are lots of things to be critical of in Hasidism, but I feel like so many stories end with people shunning Judaism, it was a nice change of pace for Raizl to stay in the end. But that doesn't change that it also didn't seem like Raizl was truly happy in the end or had a solid resolution to her conflict and it was more of a settling or coming to terms than being at ease with herself.
There were also some plot points that I think would have been a lot more interesting to have touched on more, like Yossi's brief moment with dressing up for Purim or how racism is pretty prevalent in the Jewish community. I know those weren't the focus of the book, but they drew my attention more than Raizl's "addiction" to porn.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for for making this title available in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Antisemitism, Grief
Minor: Racism, Abortion