Naomi Alderman

Learning that her orthodox Jewish rabbi father has passed away, Manhattan single woman Ronit Krushka returns to the home she fled years earlier and reconnects with a beloved cousin and a forbidden childhood sweetheart, only to become a threat to her former community. A first novel. 30,000 first printing.

Disobedience

*NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE, STARRING RACHEL WEISZ AND RACHEL MCADAMS *AUTHOR OF ONE OF PRESIDENT OBAMA’S FAVORITE READS OF 2017 When a young photographer living in New York learns that her estranged father, a well-respected rabbi, has died, she can no longer run away from the truth, and soon sets out for the Orthodox Jewish community in London where she grew up. Back for the first time in years, Ronit can feel the disapproving eyes of the community. Especially those of her beloved cousin, Dovid, her father’s favorite student and now an admired rabbi himself, and Esti, who was once her only ally in youthful rebelliousness. Now Esti is married to Dovid, and Ronit is shocked by how different they both seem, and how much greater the gulf between them is. But when old flames reignite and the shocking truth about Ronit and Esti’s relationship is revealed, the past and present converge in this award-winning and critically acclaimed novel about the universality of love and faith, and the strength and sacrifice it takes to fight for what you believe in—even when it means disobedience.

A Novel

Such subtleties in the telling of this story. I’ve raced through it, and although I’d happily read more about the lives of these characters, it’s near perfect in its snapshot of a moment in time.

Emma Cragg

Learning that her orthodox Jewish rabbi father has passed away, Manhattan single woman Ronit Krushka returns to the home she fled years earlier and reconnects with a beloved cousin and a forbidden childhood sweetheart, only to become a threat to her former community. A first novel. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.

Lindy

Naomi Alderman tends to be didactic in her fiction. This is one of the things that irritated me about The Power, and early on it irritated me in Disobedience too, but Disobedience is a didactic novel about, among other things, Judaism's didactic practices, so it all worked out thematically in the end to a deeply emotionally moving effect. After reading some of the reviews on here though, I'm wondering if Alderman was not didactic enough.

Laura Mauler

Deducting a star for using dream sequences, which I loathe in any story. Other than that it was a fantastic book.

Well written and extremely interesting story about the life of a woman with an Orthodox Jewish upbringing. For such a short story there was a TON of information and imagery packed into this book!!! Highly recommend for anyone who wants a great read!!