The Red Tent has achieved classic status even though it was first published barely a dozen years ago. It was recently reprinted in a 10th anniversary edition. It is a misnomer to call it Christian fiction, because it features characters and storyline from the Hebrew Scriptures (the Christian Old Testament), and the Jewish author's earlier works were non-fiction treatments of contemporary Jewish life. This speaks to the commonality in the cultural and historical threads of Christianity and Judaism that should be emphasized, and the novel has been well-received in both traditions:
A richly imagined world ... Paints a vivid picture of what women's society might have resembled during Biblical times. Although it is a novel, it is also an extended midrash or exegesis - filling in gaps left by the Biblical text. Quoted from the Jewish Times.
The Red Tent is a fine novel. This earthy, passionate tale, told also with great delicacy, is, quite simply, a great read. Quoted from the National Catholic Reporter.
The story is told through the eyes of Dinah, a minor character in the saga of Jacob (Israel). In the Biblical account from Genesis, Dinah is Jacob's daughter by Leah, and Genesis reports that Dinah was raped by a local prince, which caused her brothers to exact murderous revenge on the locals. Diamant tells the story differently; in the novel, Dinah passionately loves the prince, and the revenge motive is based upon bigotry toward the uncircumcised (non-Hebrew) prince as well as the perceived affront to the menfolk of her tribe. The novel sounds feminist themes and strikes at the patriarchal underpinnings of both Judaism and Christianity.
Diamant is a gifted storyteller, and this Biblical novel is superb literary fiction. Scene and setting are evocative, and the reader will be transported into the world of caravans and cultures as they may have existed millenia ago. Yet, Diamant's story resonates with timeless themes of the human condition.
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