The Wayward Moon
Janice Weizman takes readers back to ninth-century Babylonia in this interesting debut novel. Rahel Bat Yair is the seventeen-year-old daughter of a Jewish physician in Sura, a city south of Baghdad. Her mother died giving birth to her and her father raised and educated her. When he accepts a position as an advisor to the governor, an anti-Semitic member of the governor's entourage murders him and Rahel is forced to defend herself. After killing the murderer, Rahel flees, leading to many adventures throughout the Islamic, Jewish, and Christian communities between the Tigris and the Euphrates. She spends time in a monastery, has an ill-fated love affair, and eventually finds her way back to the Jewish community in the Galilee. Rahel is a strong, learned woman, determined to survive despite the adversity in her life. The author's attention to historical detail adds color to an action-packed story that will keep readers turning the pages. Book clubs will enjoy this book. The role of women in ancient societies, arranged marriages, religion, and slavery provide many issues for discussion. --Barbara M. Bibel, Jewish Book World MagazineThe Wayward Moon is a magnificent piece of historical fiction and a startlingly beautiful portrayal of a strong woman in an era when women were expected to be only a man's wife and mother to his children. The Wayward Moon is her first full-length novel. --Hilary Daninhirsch, Fall 2012 - ForeWord Review, August 30, 2012FictionThe Wayward MoonJanice Weizman. Yotzeret Publishing (Partners Publishers Group, dist.), $14.95 trade paper (328p) ISBN 978-1-59287-101-8In  her debut novel, Toronto-born Weizman, who now lives in Israel and is  founder and editor of the Ilanot Review, explores Islamic history  through crises confronted by women. The action in the story—and there’s  lots of it— takes place in the ninth century, mostly in what is now  Iraq. The first-person narrator, 17-year-old Rahel Bat Yair, is the  daughter of a Jewish physician in Sura, south of Baghdad. Her mother  died giving birth to Rahel, and her father raised and educated her. He  arranges her marriage and accepts a position as advisor to the governor;  the latter action enrages an anti-Semitic member of the governor’s  entourage, leading to a bloody confrontation in which the doctor is  killed and Rahel slays the murderer. She flees and her subsequent  exciting adventures, from a stint in a monastery to an ill-fated love  affair, occupy the rest of the book. She eventually finds her way back  to the Jewish community in the Galilee area and writes her story. This  melodrama holds the reader’s interest as the strong-willed Rahel  weathers this series of disasters. (Aug.)Reviewed on: 06/04/2012