Review of "Shmutz: A Novel" by Felicia Berliner

This is Felicia Berliner's debut book and I selected it from the 'new books' shelf of the library because I thought it was a comic novel. 'Shmutz' is the Yiddish word for dirt or grime, and the title just struck me as funny.

Well, the book has humorous moments but it's certainly not a comedy. The story revolves around a teenage girl named Raizl who lives with her Chasidic family in Brooklyn.



Chasidic Judaism is an ultra-orthodox branch of the religion and has strict rules for everything, including clothing, hair, food, dishes, prayer, behavior, education, marriage, and so on.


Chasidic men and boys


Chasidic girls

Raizl has a talent for numbers, and unlike most Chasidic girls, attends college and works outside the home. In addition to going to school, Raizl is a mother's helper and a part-time bookkeeper/accountant.



Raizl's contribution to the family's parnussa (income) allows her brothers to study Torah all day, which is de rigueur for Chasidic boys.



Arranged marriages are customary in the Chasidic community, and Raizl's parents contact a shadchen (matchmaker) to find their daughter a groom. Raizl refuses to meet potential husbands, however, because she's afraid of marriage. So Raizl's mother sends her to a psychiatrist, Dr. Podhoretz, in an effort to alleviate Raizl's fears.



Well, Raizl tells Dr. Podhoretz that she's addicted to pornography. Chasidic families almost never have computers, but Raizl's college scholarship includes a laptop that she needs for her studies. Like anyone with an internet connection, Raizl goes exploring and comes across porn videos (these are graphically described).

Raizl is absolutely fascinated by the porn images, which are far removed from anything she's familiar with. In fact Raizl's first language, Yiddish, hardly even has words for human private parts, much less sexual activities.

At first I thought this set-up would lead to a story about Raizl wanting to escape from the Chasidic community. However, that's not true at all. Raizl is a very devout Jew who's devoted to her parents and her Zeidy (grandfather); loves her sister and brothers; venerates Hashem (the Hebrew term for God); always says her prayers and blessings; adheres to most Chasidic customs; and so on. In fact Raizl wants to find a husband as much as her parents want her to, but she doesn't like any of the boys selected by the matchmaker.


Shidduch dating (arranged by a matchmaker) is the traditional system by which religious Jews meet their mates.

On the other hand, Raizl does warm up to some of the black-clad Goth students at her college, especially a girl called Sam, who seems to be as much of an 'outsider' as Raizl herself. Raizl 'sticks out' because she wears heavy beige tights, a long sleeved blouse, a long sleeved sweater, a modest skirt, and plain black flats.


Goth teens

Sam thinks Raizl's name is Razor - which is right up the Goth's alley. Besides hobnobbing with (what Chasidim would consider) inappropriate people, Raizl also gives in to the temptation of eating traif (non-kosher) food like bacon and eggs, bacon cheeseburgers, and the like. Conversely, at home Raizl's family eats kosher fare like cholent (slow-cooked stew) and kokosh cake (Hungarian chocolate babka).


Cholent


Kokosh Cake

The story follows Raizl's journey as she struggles with her desire to follow Chasidic customs while still being free of some of the paternalistic and restrictive rules of the community.

Some of my favorite characters are Raizl's Mami (mother), who loves her children and stands up to Tati (father) on occasion; and Raizl's brother Moishe, who has a good sense of humor and actually has the nerve to break his engagement when he realizes he isn't ready for marriage. On the other hand, I didn't like Raizl's employer, the Rebbetzin (rabbi's wife), who exhibits some truly bizarre behavior.

I was interested to learn that Mami's human hair sheitel (a wig worn by married Chasidic women) cost $3,000 and that newlywed Chasidic women are supposed to have at least three sheitels. Seems like an expensive proposition.



The story is generously laced with Yiddish words, which are defined in glossary at the back of the book. This was a learning experience for the author, who said in an interview: "[Yiddish] was the secret language my grandmother and grandfather used when they wanted to talk without me understanding. I picked up plenty as a kid, but it was not my first language. I definitely learned more in the course of writing this book." (I'll bet! LOL 😉)

This novel was certainly something 'different' and I'd recommend it to readers looking for a unique experience, folks curious about 'naughty' Yiddish words, and people wanting a peek into the Chasidic community.

Rating: 3.5 stars