I don't even remember what interested me in this book. I do know that I got it from one of my favorite sites, www.paperbackswap.com, which I'm happy to tell you about because it rocks!!
One of the reasons I was drawn to this book was because there are really not a lot of modern books that are written towards a Jewish audience that are overtly Jewish in content, especially coming from the Reform movement perspective. I am starting to see more come out lately and am hoping that this is a positive trend. Of course, I am hoping that one day I will start my one genre of literature with plenty of books showcasing strong Jewish women, exactly the way they are written about in other strong female literature, but that's another posting.
Back to the book. The book is told primarily in three voices: Deborah, a Reform rabbi in New York City; Henry, a Holocaust survivor who would like to commit suicide now that his quality of life diminishes further with every stroke; and Lev, his son who has recently broken off his engagement. Originally, I was only really impressed with Deborah, saddened by Henry and thoroughly frustrated with the character of Lev.
So how did Deborah become entangled in the lives of Henry, his wife and two sons? Henry had been hospitalized for a stroke and Deborah was doing chaplaincy at the hospital when she happened upon Henry. She started to do some praying for him and then Lev came in very upset, thinking that she was a Christian chaplain. She explained that no, she in fact was a Jewish rabbi.
The two of them slowly start to develop a relationship with each other, very cautiously and with much trepidation-both having been hurt in the past. The relationship starts with them studying Talmud together (Rosen wrote a previous book called Talmud and the Internet which I have sitting on my pile of books to read). Through the Talmudic study, they get to know each other better and better and the relationship becomes stronger yet fragile still at the same time as they both explore what it means to be involved like this.
As with all relationships, there are struggles and some of them quite traumatic and each make mistakes, as people do in relationships but watching their relationship develop is really beautiful and you want them to succeed in their pairing.
I loved the beautiful depictions of Deborah in prayer. She talks about wearing her grandfather's large Tallit that covers her completely and the incongruity of wearing the Tallit over her t-shirt and underwear first thing in the morning when she davens Shacharit. She also talks about her strictness in Kashrut and many other things yet while at the same time still struggling with many of the customs and laws of Judaism. I don't often feel this way, but I felt that I could really identify with this character and could see parts of myself in her and parts of what I want to be within her as well.
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