Review by nordstina - Shmutz

nordstina 's review for:

Shmutz by Felicia Berliner

3.5

dark funny reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Raizl is a young, Hasidic woman living in Brooklyn with her family. She expects an arranged marriage and follows strict behaviors emphasized by her religion and father. She already is a bit of an anomaly in that she is attending college for accounting and has a part-time job which helps support her family. But she understands what is expected of her in her community. Even so- she has a secret. She is addicted to pornography. Because of her job and her university work she has a laptop (not normally allowed) and becomes more and more engrossed in watching videos, which affects her schoolwork and relationships. On the other hand, it brings about an exploration of her sexuality and questioning of rules in her culture.

Berliner has written a intriguing debut novel- one that combines the two themes of strict religious communities and sexuality that are not portrayed together a lot. It is quite provocative- the sex acts are described quite frankly (though with a lot of yiddish definitions of anatomical parts), but I so enjoyed reading about Raizl's unexpected journey.

On a side note, the cover for this book is inspired and truly perfection.

Thank you to Atria Books via NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.

Content Warnings