By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

A friend and I frequently disagree when it comes to judging the books we’ve read. There are authors I love whom she finds herself unable to read. Last year, one of her favorite novels made my “wish I hadn’t bothered to read this” list. We still enjoy talking about books because, even when we disagree, it’s interesting to discuss our impressions. I’ve come to realize one reason for our differences: we’ve had an almost indescribable emotional response to the books that mean the most to us, a response that is as individualistic as falling in love. 
I thought about this because I know that not everyone will agree with my thoughts about two recent books: “The World Between” (Delphinium Books), the second novel by Israeli author Zeeva Bukai*, and “Remember to Eat and Other Stories” (SparkPress), a book of short stories by Meryl Ain**. While I found Ain’s book enjoyable and engaging (and perfect for book clubs interested in women’s issues), my immediate response to Bukai’s was that it’s breathtakingly brilliant. Yet, I wonder if more readers will appreciate Ain’s book due to its writing style. However, it was Bukai’s short novel that swept me away with a hurricane of emotions.
In fewer than 180 small pages (the book measures 5 inches by 7 inches), Bukai manages to paint a verbal portrait of the unnamed main character’s life. Written as a series of letters to her estranged husband, who is living in New York City, the narrator tries to understand what has happened to her during a trip to Israel, particularly why she finds herself in the sanitarium in Jaffe run by the Sisters of Saint Joseph. Readers are given hints about her early life, particularly about her starring roles in the Yiddish theater in plays that were written by her husband. However, their life was poisoned by the death of their 9-month-old son. The roles her husband then wrote for her began to feature women who destroyed their children, a theme echoed by the therapist at the sanitarium. 
However, the most intriguing character is Rothman, whom the narrator has known since childhood. It is he who visits her in the sanitarium and who reminds her of her life before and during World War II. Together, they survived a prison-type camp in Siberia and moved to Israel after the war, which is where she met her husband. What they went through is something readers need to discover for themselves, but it’s clear that the narrator is scarred by her time working with young children in the camp, children it was impossible for her to save. The reason she is confined to the sanitarium is connected to that trauma.
Parts of “The World Between” are heartrending. For example, readers might question whether patients in the sanitarium would be happier if they were allowed to maintain the delusion that their loved ones were still alive. Yet, the effect that would have on those who came into their lives after the war is also difficult to bear.
Exactly what happens to the narrator after the last sentence of “The World Between” is open to debate. However, that final chapter left me stunned and unable to connect to the world around me. That is one of the highest compliments I can give a book. Yet, I am aware that this very literary novel will not appeal to everyone. I can only hope that readers will be willing to risk reading this moving, fascinating work.
While Bukai’s work has a first-person narrator, Ain’s stories feature first-person and third-person narration. The time period of the stories range from before World War II to contemporary times. However, the 22 stories do not appear in chronological order, something that works because of the different themes about family and community life featured, and the changes that occurred in the opportunities offered to women during those times. While the stories focus on Alice, who enrolled in the U.S. Army during World War II, although she was never sent overseas, and her daughter Marjorie, a baby boomer whose life was mostly defined by family, readers also learn about Alice’s mother, Sadie, and Marjorie’s daughter, Deborah. The stories show the changes that occurred between generations, not only because of the different opportunities offered the women, but the individual choices they made.
There are overlapping details in many of the stories, but they don’t feel repetitive because each story focuses on different aspects of the women’s lives. Some of my favorite stories include:
“Fighting Hitler: Alice’s War,” which tells why she joined the Army after college and her experience stateside during the war.
“After the War,” during which Alice decides what she should do with her life once the kids are grown. She debates this with her friend Connie, another mother, who was a nurse during World War II and who nursed those who had been in concentration camps.
“Alice Gets A Job” shows how, during the 1960s, women worked behind the scenes to make things happen, but that the men got all the credit for their successes.
“The Cantor Sings: Marjorie and the Amazing Voice,” which is a humorous story about what happens when a synagogue hires a cantor whose voice becomes more important than the community itself.
“Cherished Daughter,” in which Marjorie learns that a close relationship with her daughter is not guaranteed. The problem begins during Deborah’s childhood, when she thinks the dolls her mother collected for her are creepy. 
“Unexpected Blessing,” a beautiful story about the unexpected turns life can take. In this case, Bobbi, a friend of Marjorie’s, is distressed when her son joins an ultra-Orthodox sect. However, Bobbi soon learns how seriously they take the mitzvah of saving a life.
“Never Again,” which is a story about antisemitism that takes place over several decades. One of those events could have been taken from my own life, making this story particularly meaningful.
Ain’s prose is easy to read and her stories memorable. Book clubs, especially those with women of different ages, will find much to discuss.
*The Reporter’s review of Bukai’s first novel “The Anatomy of Exile” can be found at Off the Shelf: Family, religion, country and love.
** The Reporter’s reviews of Ain’s two post-Holocaust themed novels can be found at Off the Shelf: Two sides of World War II – part 1 by Rabbi Rachel Esserman and Off the Shelf: Romance, fantasy or a combination of the two: Part two.