Rina Kirsch, a young Modern Orthodox Jewish mother, is exhausted. She does her best to honor the traditions of her faith and takes on the huge responsibilities and labor of maintaining a proper Jewish home. She is a dutiful wife and a loving mother who loves her community. However, she is an atheist and feels stuck. If readers find this shocking, there is more. Her husband's idea of spicing their marriage up is for them to participate in an Orthodox Jewish wife swap. It takes some convincing, but she finally agrees. As for the results, her husband would have been better off buying flowers and candy. The swap did anything and everything but save their marriage. His next attempt placed her in art class which led to a torrid affair with Will, her married teacher. OLIVE DAYS, a novel by Jessica Elisheva Emerson, is the story of what followed.
Skillfully told, OLIVE DAYS, is a story of unbridled passion, lust and introspection. Rina is a conflicted woman who deals with so many "what if?" questions. And even more, she must decide what she is willing to give up to be with the man who she believes really sees who she is. As for Will, he is a complicated man, but one thing is certain. He is in the relationship for the long haul.
OLIVE DAYS is an intense and profound story that combines religion, tradition and lust. It is immersive because there is no clear path to what is ahead for Rina and Will and readers are kept guessing right up until the conclusion.
I found OLIVE DAYS to be unique and memorable. Thought-provoking and deep, OLIVE DAYS is a fascinating story.
A smoldering debut novel about a young mother in an Orthodox Jewish community of Los Angeles whose quest for authenticity erupts in a passionate affair following a night of wife swapping
Rina Kirsch is a young mother and Modern Orthodox Jew in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood of Los Angeles. Dutifully keeping to the formidable expectations of a traditional household connects Rina with generations past and those to come. But a contradiction burns at her center: Rina is an atheist. She is also stymied in her life and marriage.
Hoping to reinvigorate their relationship, Rina’s husband convinces her to partake in a night of wife swapping with other Orthodox couples. Rather than preserve her marriage, however, the swap plunges Rina down a heady path that begins with a rekindled passion for painting and culminates in an intoxicating affair with Will Ochoa, her married art teacher. Clandestine rendezvous and stolen moments of ardor awaken Rina to an existence beyond the confining parameters of tradition, offering a glimpse at the possible life she left behind in the olive groves of her youth. As the blush of erotic thrill comes into sharp contrast with the complications of living a secret life, Rina must decide if it’s worth sacrificing everything she’s ever known to fully inhabit the uncharted landscape unfolding before her, one where her needs take precedence.
Told in the fevered tenor common to both lust and religious devotion, Olive Days is an unforgettable story of the agonizing choices women make to balance duty against desire.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy