It had been hard to predict what to expect from a sequel to a book like Unorthodox. Often enough memoirs leave the reader at the last page with a nice sense of closure. You think, aha, so now she is out of her prison, her life can begin, she is free to be like me, here is her happy ending. The end. What is unique in a well crafted sequel is the ability to pick up right at the point where the original stopped off and create not a new chapter but an entirely new story. I can’t say that Exodus reads well as a stand alone book, because without the context of the original, the struggles in the sequel fall in the category of why should I care? But as a “What Happens Next”, Exodus has been a trove of intimate information that i felt was missing from Unorthodox. Unorthodox was about breaking out of prison. So far Exodus is solely about the person Deborah Feldman is now that Satmar affiliation does not define her. Its the ultimate identity search. I’ve been enjoying the journey of discovery right along with Deborah.
From the fingertips of Eugenia S
Jewish Books Are Awesome 