Heart Rhythms

by Shuli Mensh

A riveting novel with a powerful, down-to-earth message. Kayla's world is thrown apart with the news that her mother is remarrying--with Kayla herself searching for her bashert. Fraydelle's upcoming marriage is the best thing that could ever have happened in her mind, but will it ever erase the demons that haunt her from her abusive first husband? Tammy, Kayla's best friend is walking a very fine line between her future husband and his family--a line blurred by lies, fears, and vicious resentment. Will she make the right decision, and how will her destiny play out? Rivka, Tammy's mother and Fraydelle's longtime friend is facing her own issues, even as she watches her daughter embark on a new life. Will she ever learn to let go of her children and face her own inner feelings? This novel is rich with genuine human emotion, realistic characters, and a gripping plot that carries the reader along for a wonderful journey.

Genres: Jewish

253 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[rivka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Significantly better than most Artscroll/Targum/etc. books. All the plots and subplots have beginnings, middles, ends. The main characters are, for the most part, more than 2-dimensional. At no point did I feel a desire to throw or mutilate the book.

Nonetheless, it had some of the lacks that plague most books of this ilk. The characters don't quite rise to 3-dimensionality, though some aspire to it. Show me that their history not only informs their current actions, but flavors everything they do. You know, like real people? Personal history shouldn't just be relevant when it's convenient to the plot. And all the plots resolved entirely too cleanly and neatly.

It also perpetuates some of the lies the frum community likes to buy into: Divorce only happens to couples who should have never gotten married, where she knew from the beginning that it was a bad idea. If you feel in your heart when you get married that it's the right person, well that couldn't possibly end in divorce! And survivors of abuse will be just fine once they get away from the abuser. They don't need therapy or anything to have happy, healthy marriages later. Not even if they were small children who watched their father beat on their mother for years.

Hmm. Maybe I should reconsider that throwing thing . . .

[Frum Books]

Touching, charming, and relatable, mothers and daughters turn to their friends when all else fails. Having been together through the hard times, Fraydelle and Rivka are excited to look ahead. Their daughters, Kayla and Tammy, are more hesitant. Kayla is unsure about the changes to come and what they mean for her. Tammy is looking into a glorious future with a fantastic guy, but doesn’t know what his murky family story means for her. A satisfying read with nuanced characters and a steady pace.

As featured on The Frum Books Newsletter