Sotah
by By Ragen, Naomi
Category: Fiction , Literary

Sotah is the story of beautiful, fragile Dina Reich, a young woman in Jerusalem's ultrareligious haredi enclave who is accused of the community's most unforgivable sin: adultery. The hallmark of the haredim is their adherence to the letter of Jewish law, and they are thus cocooned in tradition and observance. But the law is a double-edged sword that also subjects Dina to a modern version of the biblically ordained public ordeal that will either vindicate or destroy her completely.Although Dina was brought up to be an obedient daughter and dutiful wife, she has yearnings - for knowledge, for romance, for excitement - that she knows her life will never satisfy. In her willing but arranged marriage, Dina finds these deeply repressed passions increasingly difficult to ignore. Even her loving and generous husband cannot completely satisfy her, and, eventually, her frustration finds a dangerous outlet in a sudden and intense obsession with a married man. But when the flirtation is exposed by the community's self-appointed vigilantes, Dina is separated from her husband and child and forced to leave the country. In New York City, the freedom and the shallowness of modern American life appall Dina, but they also inspire her to fashion her own tradition, one that will enable her to confront her accusers and reclaim her life.