The Red Tent

A book I can come back to again and again. Powerful story of real women, weaving together ancient truths and fiction.

A retelling of a part of the Old Testament, from the perspective of the women, with a focus on the women. And it's a really good yarn! Of multiple mothers, jealousies, the secrets of mid-wiving, young love, deadly betrayals, and the power of curses.

The title-giving menstruation tent, which in reality is often associated with shunning and uncleanliness, becomes the sacred place for the women, where they rest, luxuriate, tell stories, and celebrate their female goddesses. The author has acknowledged that this is not historically accurate, but, one really wishes it was. 3 days of rest and leasure, what a great idea.

Almost equally entertaining: reading the low-star reviews of Christians who are outraged over the ‘wrong' depiction of their male heroes from the bible :)

The Red Tent is a re-telling of the Biblical story of Dinah (the only daughter of Jacob in the Old Testament). It is told entirely from her perspective (birth to death), and focuses primarily on the women in her world and their lives together. Described like that, this sounds a little dry, but this book is amazing. The story is rich and deep and mystical, full of joy and sorrow. And while there is plenty of action, it is primarily about the relationships of women. Mothers, sisters, grandmothers, aunties, daughters, best friends play almost all the central roles in the book.

For bonus points - if you are a fan of musicals parts of this book will take you back to Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Dinah is half-sister to Joseph).