The Ladies Auxiliary Book Review

Who hasn’t felt like an outsider at some point in their life? I know I have and it can make one doubt themselves and never quite feel they belong. Batsheva‚ the main character in The Ladies Auxiliary moves to Memphis‚ TN‚ a small‚ close-knit Orthodox Jewish community to start over with her seven-year-old daughter. Tragically‚ her husband dies and she decides to move to Memphis dreaming of friendship and community. What she May not realize about a traditional religious Orthodox community is there are certain ways of doing things and one has to abide by all the rules and customs of the Orthodox religion. The women of the Ladies Auxiliary are excited about having a new friend to bring into their fold. However‚ as they learn more about her over a course of a year‚ they begin to judge her. She is a free spirit‚ sings the loudest in church‚ wears slightly more revealing clothes than the women of the community‚ is an artist‚ and has had passed digressions in her life. As Batsheva becomes close to their daughters by teaching them Art in high school‚ they begin to resent her for rubbing off on their daughters. Batsheva gives them a safe place to talk about their fears and concerns of life and their religion. The ladies begin to see their daughters dressing like Batsheva‚ questioning things in their life‚ and dressing more eccentric. Not the modest way of the Ladies Auxiliary Club. The mothers want their daughters to stay close to their orthodox traditions‚ follow the rules‚ marry and follow in their ancestor’s footsteps. It is enough to make one feel as if they are suffocating. The women stop inviting her to events and slowly ice her out of the community. Luckily some of the women are still kind to her and remain friendly but the majority is cruel to her. This made me think of how it feels to judge someone cause they are a little different and reading into things when one doesn’t know the whole truth. Ultimately‚ being cruel to someone who is different than the standard.

The book is filled with Jewish Orthodox holidays and traditions. Having never known about this community it was fascinating to read about their religion and life. Although the book is fiction‚ the author grew up in the Orthodox religion in Memphis‚ Tennessee and draws from her past to write this book. It was an engrossing read and it is great for a book club discussion because there are so many different layers to the book. This was  the author’s first book and has also written other books since. Tova Mirvis  has also written articles and essays for various magazines. She lives in Newton‚ MA with her three children.

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