The Red Tent by Anita Diamant was a fascinating read that I wasn't expecting to enjoy - the central theme to the book revolved around the 'red tent', the place in Biblical times where women would go during menstruation, child birth and illness but it turned out to be an intriguing story of the bonds that are created between sisters, mothers and daughters (definitely not a book for men).
'My name means nothing to you. My memory is dust. This is not your fault or mine. The chain connecting mother to daughter was broken and the word passed to the keeping of men, who had no way of knowing. That is why I became a footnote, my story a brief detour between the well-known history of my father Jacob, and the celebrated chronicle of Joseph, my brother.'
The Red Tent takes the limited story of Dinah from the Old Testament (daughter of Jacob, brother of Joseph) and expands it into a novel exploring the role and lives of women in Biblical times, both in Egypt and parts of Israel. Dinah lives in her father's tribe with her mother and aunts (all sisters as well as Jacob's wives - Leah, Rachel, Zilphah and Bilbah) and growing herd of brothers, learning about the ways of women and the early goddesses in the red tent, which is reserved for menstruating women. She marries but her husband is brutally murdered by her brothers Simon and Levi, and in anger she curses her family and eventually settles in Egypt as a renowned midwife.
I found this book to be an amazing insight into the daily lives and dreams of women in these times. It was very well told, with strong characters and vivid descriptions into the ritual and customs surrounding Dinah's life. The book isn't religious in any discernable sense (and many people have apparently been offended by the biblical inaccuracies, but you need to read it as pure fiction) - it's merely written as the story of a woman with an incredible life.
Happy Easter all! I'll be glad when its all over and I can stop eating hot cross buns and seemingly innocent small easter eggs....
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