Raizl, the young Hasidic girl from Brooklyn getting addicted to porn just before of starting her matchmaking process may be one of my favorite women curious Hasidic characters. In the debut novel Shmutz - which may translate from Yiddish as something impure, spiritually treif - of Felicia Berliner, Raizl is coming of age, acknowledging her way of being different and not necessarily fitting in, still wanting to stay and find a place in her beloved community.
One of the most important feature of this book in my opinion is that avoids the usual black and white stereotypes about the Hasidic community, introducing to the reader people struggling, hiding their real intentions, having double life, as many others do, no matter where. The family of Raizl for instance, is a mosaique of such characters: curious about the outside world, smoking, getting a bit high once in a while, hiding from their parents, not brave enough to come out. They are not breaking out completely and suddenly and may even try to see how it is to wear pants and play some sex games; but in the end, they are returning and going on with their lives.
Raizl is also relatable because she has a lot of humour and ask so many questions related to her addiction - should she say Shma before or after watching porn, and what exactly does it say about the activity of watching porn anyway? She is not just an angry teenage hating everyone, rather the opposite, she is worrisome embracing her habit, doing some therapy where she is talking (only) about it, trying to give up and once getting close from getting the real thing, is completely deconstructing her experience.
My only objection is that maybe there would have been other characters in the book that deserved more attention, but Raizl is nevertheless alive and hard to forget.
Shmutz is a recommended read for anyone looking beyond the black-and-white narrative of the literature inspired and on this topic. Personally, would love to read many more such good books.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
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