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Sept. 7, 2007
Expanding the Bible stories
Professor uses fiction to explain women's lives in ancient times.
CYNTHIA RAMSAY
As long as the Torah is, many of its stories are brief. A few scant
verses introduce us to many of Judaism's most important heroes and
heroines, leaving us with more questions than answers. Prof. Eva
Etzioni-Halevy has turned her academic eye toward writing fiction
that fills in some of these blanks, at least in the stories of certain
women in the Bible.
Her first novel was The Song of Hannah (Plume) and,
contrary to the title, it brings two biblical women to life: Hannah
and Pninah, friends who became near-enemies when they both ended
up married to the same man, Elkanah. Pninah, as his first wife,
is a bitter partner and finds fulfilment only in extramarital affairs.
And Hannah is Elkanah's true love, but not his passion, so he seeks
his pleasure from not only Pninah, but other women as well. The
situation gets really tense later, however, when Hannah's son Samuel,
the prophet, becomes attracted to Pninah.
The Song of Hannah captures, in detail and with accuracy,
the situation of women in biblical times. In it, the chapters alternate
between Hannah and Pninah, and readers are treated to their unique
perspectives on events and the ways in which they outwardly adhere
to the requirement that they do as their husband demands, but find
ways within this rubric to get what they need or want. It is an
interesting and well-written book. The tension is palpable at times
and you can't help but like both women and hope that it all turns
out alright for them in the end.
Unfortunately, Etzioni-Halevy's most recent effort isn't as satisfying.
The Garden of Ruth (Plume) fleshes out the story
of the Moabite who followed her mother-in-law Naomi to Bethlehem
and embraced her religion. It does so through the character of 15-year-old
Osnath, who, generations later, finds a mysterious scroll that seems
to indicate that Ruth may have loved, or at least been loved by,
a man other than her (second) husband, Boaz.
When Osnath asks her relatives about this aspect of her great-grandmother's
life, she is continually rebuked. This is one element of Etzioni-Halevy's
storytelling that grates after a while. Another is the lengthy route
Osnath takes to fall in love with Eliab, who seems to rape her in
their first meeting, but who then convinces Osnath that she was
willing. Another impediment on their way to "happily ever after"
is that Osnath thinks she's in love (and is sleeping) with Eliab's
brother, David, who eventually must leave, as he is successor to
King Saul – anyway, it turns out that David doesn't really
love Osnath in the first place.
Part 2 of the book, which changes to Ruth's perspective as she recounts
her migration with her mother-in-law back to Bethlehem, is better
written and less annoying than the first part, which focused on
Osnath's life and often reads like a Harlequin romance. For instance,
Osnath is besotted when she first meets David: "Catching her
unsteady breath, Osnath found herself face to face with the young
man. He was red-haired, with skin as light as a sunlit day, eyes
as dazzlingly blue as the summer sky, and a body as lithe as a deer."
In addition to this poor writing, the "mystery" of Ruth
that Osnath is trying so hard to discover is completely revealed
in the second half of the book. One wonders why we had to bother
with all the contrived intrigue to that point. For example, after
a snake finds its way into her bed chamber, Osnath suspects Eliab
(who had nothing to do with it). As she ponders why he would do
such a thing, she asks herself, "Was it because, by digging
into the history of his great-grandmother, Ruth the Moabite, she
might discover a murky secret that he was determined to keep from
her prowling eyes?
"Ruth. A name so short, so beautiful. How could such a small
name contain such a big mystery? One so devastating that a man was
willing to kill to keep it safe?"
On her website, Etzioni-Halevy says that her next book will be about
the prophetess and judge, Deborah, and the military commander Barak,
as described in the Book of Judges. Let's hope she goes back to
the writing style of her first novel when doing so.
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