I'm not sure how this got onto my to-read list. Sometimes I search for the most positive-reviewed books on Amazon, sometimes I get a recommendation from a friend. I'm glad I read this, but I have to admit I hated most of it.Diamant has taken the perspective of Dinah, who plays a bit part in a bizarre parable from Genesis 34 (that's the bible you heathens). It's your basic rape, foreskin ransom, kill everyone, take women and children prisoner, and get rewarded by God kind-of story that you would expect from the Bible.
But OK, strange choice of subject matter aside. Can this novel stand on its own? Diamant says that was her intent, that it should appeal to someone with no knowledge of the bible. In a word, no.
The first 60% of the novel is basically filler leading up to the foreskin ransoming. Diamant attempts to paint a picture of women's life in biblical times, but it seems contrived. The notion that women gather together in a red tent to pass the time of their period eating sweet cakes, braiding each other's hair, and being waited on by pre-pubescent girls just seems ridiculous. I doubt any working class women, in this case shepherd's wives, had time for such largesse given the backbreaking work of their everyday lives, and their power inequality with men.
The character 'development' in the first half of the novel is filled with trivialities:
Zilpah saw Inna's appearance as a god omen. The midwife's presence lifted her spirits so much that later my aunt began to sing. It was nothing exalted, only a children's song about a fly who bothered a rabbit, who ate the insect but was eaten by a dog, who was in turn eaten by a jackal, who was hunted by a lion...
who was read by someone who doesn't give a shit. There are some Bible-y tidbits thrown in before the main event, which would gel nicely with the story if Dinah was into LSD. And it wouldn't be Genesis if there wasn't a boring, unimportant-to-the-story family tree spelled out every now and then.
But in spite of all this I did respect Diamant's writing, and there are some very poignant moments that resonated with me, such as when Dinah holds her son for the first time:
There should be a song for women to sing at this moment, or a prayer to recite.
Most people giving critical reviews of this novel are upset because Diamant didn't stick to the biblical 'facts', i.e. she made Dinah willing instead of raped, and 'disrespected' Jacob. She also offended a bunch of people producing and reading Jewish midrash - reinterpretations of biblical stories. I think Diamant's real mistake was picking a story of senseless violence and death and trying to build it into a beautiful story about life as a woman.
1.5 stars
