“Interesting and enlightening”
I recently read 'Disobedience' by Naomi Alderman. I picked this book up in a beautifully diverse and feminist friendly bookshop in Edinburgh - Lighthouse Bookshop. I was initially drawn to it having read Alderman's 'The Power' about 5 years ago and devouring it over two days. Now, whilst the plot of this book is vastly different to 'The Power', there are so many similar themes explored: identity, choice, feminism. Such important themes that I think are explored all-too-often in a preachy, unappealing way. But Alderman is a master of the non-preachy, masterful telling of hugely important stories.
'Disobedience' tells the story of Ronit, the daughter of a well-known Orthodix Jewish Rabbi, who returns to her hometown following the death of her father. She becomes reacquainted with friends from her youth, including a female friend she had a romantic relationship with, but also finds herself the centre of controversial gossip as she grapples with the expected conventions followed in this tight-knit community.
What struck me most about this novel was the knowledge Alderman clearly has about Orthodox Jewish lifestyle. Upon researching, I discovered she comes from a similar background, and I loved that her personal experiences clearly shone through, but in a not-too-biased way. I learnt a lot about these communities whilst also enjoying this emotional story.
The novel is told from the point of view of Ronit and a third-person narrator, which I wasn't sure would work but it definitely did. It set up the idea that Ronit was the 'odd one out' in this community and just emphasised how closely contained her former neighbours were, to the point of isolating her, whether they meant to or not, with their lack of empathy. It also enabled the reader to see that Ronit's reactions to some of her father's friends were not purely based on her sexuality; I felt there were deep-rooted rebellious tendencies caused by some sort of arrested development, which was very cleverly done. It's definitely not a simple black-sheep-returns story, as we are enlightened as to the ways of the community she is returning to, allowing us some understanding of their attitudes. But I felt this blurring of lines made the novel itself and its themes even more engaging and a great source of debate!
All in all, an enlightening look at a somewhat enigmatic community with believable characters.
Paperback edition
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
