The Red Tent
by Anita Diamant.
Book is available in hardcopy and audiobook (read by Carol Bilger).
Anita Diamant recounts the story of The Red Tent, a biblical era story which makes reference to chapter 36 of Genesis: the family of Jacob and his wives, eleven sons (including Joseph) and sole daughter, Dinah. Anita is a writer of Jewish descent and has contributed widely on the topic of Jewish Lifestyle. Her fiction highlights the stories of “supporting characters” of historical untold stories. The Red Tent is told from the perpective of Dinah, and recounts the story of herself and the women - the wives and concubines in the liniage of Jacob and their experience of birth and death during the time of the Red Tent.
The purpose of the story is to give us a glimpse into what might have been the life of the woman during the era. Polygamy existed and was considered normal, Jacob being the perfect example, marrying 4 sisters. It is important to understand the context of the time and not get lost in it, it would be easy to take a feminist approach to the book, thus missing the important successes of the women despite the imposing figure of man. I believe that Anita is realistic in her description of the women’s lives, by not discounting the role of the female in the eyes of the men, while underlining the significanct role the women know they play in the survival of their families.
I listened to the audiobook version, and knitted to the pleasant voice of Carol Bliger. Beneath the soothing sound of her voice is a powerful tone that crops up in certain times of Dinah’s life, adding life and passion to the already dynamic character. She makes subtle changes in her voice for each character which keeps the storytelling lively and engaging. I particularly like how she speaks when she is portraying Dinah.
The focus on the female characters of this ancient story is refreshing as it gives the woman a connection to her foremothers that one doesn’t often find. The characters are well developed and unique in themselves. There are attributes in each of the women that are noticably archetypal - the virgin, the mother, the croan and as teh story progresses we become intimate with these characteristics in each woman as they grow up and marry. From the way Diamant writes you can visualize each woman, how they dressed and even the looks on their faces. They each have a distinct way way of speaking, which is emphasized by the variation in Bliger’s voice.
The main character, Dinah is particularly well developed, her story being primary to the plots developement. As she moves through the circumstances of her life naturally, with complete grace I grew to relate to her more and more. Her experiences as a young woman, especially for me, seem universal, even though the events took place so long ago. Seeing the story from her eyes gives an entirely new and awakening perspective on the bible.
Anita does a wonderful job of taking the care to integrate the parts of the bible that we know realistically and naturally into the storyline. I felt that the flow of the book was never interrupted and remained engaging as she flits between fiction and “non-fiction”. As the story is told, it could be part of the bible. I don’t recal the exact details given about Joseph’s sister, but I know that they weren’t many. The plot, though “untrue” brings to mind the patriarchal focus of the bible. It leaves the desire for more details of other women in the bible, however, I digress! The story is beautiful and real. I could feel the dusty grace of the feminine presence in the desert camp. I could easily see the dimly lit tent, teraphime and women speaking in hushed voices, sitting on straw. I felt that Diamant gave the perfect amount of detail and description of each event, giving a clear, non dramatized description of the women’s story.
This is a book I would definately read again, for it further inspired me become more intimate with my cycle and the deep connection to the earth held by women at this time. I felt a yearning to connect with other women, in sisterhood and not in competition as we often find in society. It helped me to understand more deeply that the “gender” roles are energetic and archetypal more than anything else. The Red Tent has prompted me to read more into the subject of women’s studies so that I may also make a contribution to womans litterature as inspiring and refreshing as that of Anita Diamant.