A PLACE FOR PEOPLE LIKE US

Botha’s literary novel follows a young woman’s bumpy spiritual journey.

Hannah is an undergraduate at a university in Canada. One night, she’s at a bar with a live band playing. The band’s singer, Jillian, gives Hannah a kiss. Jillian is confident, talented, and financially secure. Hannah is soon spending lots of time with Jillian in a relationship that occasionally becomes sexual, but Hannah’s main love interest is a boy in one of her classes named Mark Goldwater. Mark, whose Hebrew name is Naftali, comes from a wealthy Orthodox Jewish family; Jillian once had a crush on one of his sisters. As Hannah and Naftali become serious, one major issue arises: If they are to continue dating and eventually get married, Hannah must convert to Judaism. It will not be an easy task: Hannah will have to change the way she dresses and what she eats, and learn new guidelines, like how often she’s allowed to sleep with her husband. Jillian warns her, “The Jewish community is great, if you want people to tell you exactly how to live your life down to the most minute detail.” The narrative has much to offer. Hannah has a unique past, including the fact that she grew up in a cult run by her father, and her journey is fraught with tension—one false step, and she can break an obscure rule. The author does indulge in some dense expositional downloads; early on, Hannah receives a heavy dose of Goldwater family lore via a series of long explanations about, for instance, how some Goldwaters don’t think for themselves but instead “come out and strongly share whatever opinion is popular in their community.” Still, the book has more than a few surprises in store for readers.

A compelling look at the comforts and controls of religious devotion.