Status
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Description
Set against the backdrop of Jerusalem's ancient rituals, Sotah is a contemporary story of sacred and profane love, and a young woman's struggle to reconcile tradition with freedom. Ninety three weeks on the best-seller list.Sotah introduces a family with three daughters approaching the age of marriage: Devorah, Dina and Chaya Leah. In the strict orthodoxy of their world, a Sotah is a wife suspected of infidelity who can be tried by ordeal to prove she is guiltless. Which sister could be capable of such a thought, let alone the act? Into the pious world of strict chaperoning and modest clothing, where a married woman's hair must never be seen by a man other than her husband--insinuates this serpent suggestion of evil. Ragen's powerful tale of three sisters spins endless questions: Which one? Could she? Did she? What changes could come into this orderly world because of unthinking actions?… (more)
Language
User reviews
For someone like myself, who lives somewhere on the liberal side of liberal (and whose visit - yes, modestly dressed - to Meah Shearim was borderline traumatic), it's a strange, strange world, and I'm impressed with how Ragen manages to make it slightly, if not totally, comprehensible for me. It's not just a view into a normally closed world, it's a real page-turner; at no point does Ragen let her story idle - there are too many interesting people, too many interesting plot-twists, and far too many philosophical and religious ponderings for that.