Sotah

Sotah by Naomi Ragen is a kind of follow up to her first book Jephte's Daughter. She was much criticized for writing about a less than happy hasidic couple. Sotah, has no less angst, but maybe shows the ultra Orthodox in a better light.

Dina Reich is the second daughter in an haredi family in Jerusalem. At seventeen she marries a loving, generous man. But she is restless. Her quest for knowledge leads her down a dangerous path. When the community learns of her transgression, she is exiled to New York.

Her life in New York is less than satisfactory. Here she must come to terms with what has happened to her and find the courage to return to her husband in Israel.

Ragen writes beautifully. Her characters have the flaws of real people. This book, Sotah, was on the best seller list for ninety-three weeks!

Ragen, Naomi. (1992). Sotah. Michigan: Toby Press.