Julia Dahl

Investigating the murder of a Hasidic Jewish woman who because of religious laws will be buried without an autopsy, Brooklyn journalist Rebekah Roberts, whose Jewish mother abandoned her as a baby, intercedes to prevent the woman's killer from getting away with the crime. 50,000 first printing.

Invisible City

I’ll start with the narrative of the book which I found to be gripping. It was well written and I wanted to know what happens next. It was also interesting to view a murder mystery from a journalistic perspective. I did not see the plot twist coming and my jaw was literally on the floor. That was well done. Now coming to the portrayal of insular communities, or one, as in the book - it did not feel the best to read. There is something to be said about how our faith, our communities, and our surroundings have the power to shape us. Even more so in case of insular communities. However, reducing an entire community to a certain set of characteristics is harmful and dangerous. I don’t know if it was intentional in a way to capture the main character’s prejudice, owing to her own past, or if it was simply the author’s ignorance but portraying a whole community as if either the people are suffering from some form of mental illness or they’re simply trying to escape because of how oppressed they are is a choice and one that rubs me the wrong way. Maybe I am reading it wrong, but the portrayal lacks sensitivity in my opinion.

Devika M

Sonia Grgas

Kathy Rodger 

Fresh out of journalism school, Rebekah Roberts is working for the New York Tribune, trying to make a name for herself. Assigned a story about the murder of a woman in Brooklyn, Rebekah finds a case from inside a closed, secretive Hasidic Jewish community - the same Brooklyn neighbourhood her estranged mother was brought up in. Shocked to discover that the victim is set to be buried without an autopsy, Rebekah knows there is a story to uncover, but getting to the truth won't be easy - in the cloistered world her mother rebelled against, it's clear she's not welcome, and everyone she meets has a secret to keep, most of all from an outsider.

Invisible City

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