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A review by sjgrodsky
The Book of Separation by Tova Mirvis
3.0
Discussed last night (2/13/19) by the articulate, no nonsense women of the Hadassah book group.
I am afraid that Tova did not fare very well. She was described as "whiny", "kvetchy", "indecisive" and "self indulgent". Many participants, knowing the almost endless variety of Orthodox to Conservative congregations, synagogues, and chaverim, were mystified that Tova couldn't find a simpatico group.
Her relations with William were also criticized. It's hard to get the timeline, because the book jumps around so much, but we guessed that she was involved in her romance with William long before her divorce was final, possibly while she and Aaron were still living together. That did not sit well.
I found the book unsatisfying on literary grounds. First, the timeline was impenetrable. Yes, I get that she wanted to start with the granting of the divorce. But couldn't she structure the book so we understood the chronology? Couldn't she have section headings with dates?
I began to resent her opacity. Why was she keeping us confused? Shouldn't she have learned how to manage a timeline in grad school?
Second, the characters were poorly realized. William, in particular, seems flat. Aaron gets hardly a word of dialog and not a word of description.
Third, although this is a book about marriage, divorce, and remarriage, there is no reference at all to SEX. She and Aaron married in their early 20s and had three children. Surely desire played some role in their relationship. Not a word about that but, in a weird sort of transference, plenty about her hair.
Ironic that Tova evidently does pretty well bringing purely fictional characters to life, but doesn't do as well when describing real people.
I pushed on to the last page because I wanted to attend the discussion. Without that incentive, I would have quit this tiresome meander after 100 pages or so.
I am afraid that Tova did not fare very well. She was described as "whiny", "kvetchy", "indecisive" and "self indulgent". Many participants, knowing the almost endless variety of Orthodox to Conservative congregations, synagogues, and chaverim, were mystified that Tova couldn't find a simpatico group.
Her relations with William were also criticized. It's hard to get the timeline, because the book jumps around so much, but we guessed that she was involved in her romance with William long before her divorce was final, possibly while she and Aaron were still living together. That did not sit well.
I found the book unsatisfying on literary grounds. First, the timeline was impenetrable. Yes, I get that she wanted to start with the granting of the divorce. But couldn't she structure the book so we understood the chronology? Couldn't she have section headings with dates?
I began to resent her opacity. Why was she keeping us confused? Shouldn't she have learned how to manage a timeline in grad school?
Second, the characters were poorly realized. William, in particular, seems flat. Aaron gets hardly a word of dialog and not a word of description.
Third, although this is a book about marriage, divorce, and remarriage, there is no reference at all to SEX. She and Aaron married in their early 20s and had three children. Surely desire played some role in their relationship. Not a word about that but, in a weird sort of transference, plenty about her hair.
Ironic that Tova evidently does pretty well bringing purely fictional characters to life, but doesn't do as well when describing real people.
I pushed on to the last page because I wanted to attend the discussion. Without that incentive, I would have quit this tiresome meander after 100 pages or so.