The Red Tent

The Red Tent
By Anita Diamant

The Red Tent is one of those books that I’ve heard great things about and have been meaning to read for years, but just never got around to. However, this May long weekend was rainy, windy and cold - and inspired me to spend much of the weekend indoors. Yesterday morning I finally curled up in front of the fireplace with The Red Tent and I was not disappointed.

The Red Tent tells the tale of Dinah, a biblical figure. The book’s prologue hints that Dinah is mentioned only briefly in the Bible, which focuses (surprise, surprise) on the exploits of her father and brothers.

Diamant paints a vivid, rich and often brutal portrait of life in biblical times. Her sweeping narrative tells Dinah’s life from before her birth to her eventual death. The red tent is a symbolic location in the novel, a women-only space to which the women of Dinah’s tribe retreat monthly to celebrate their femininity. Within its fabric walls, Dinah learns the stories and traditions of her family.

I really enjoyed this novel and read it from cover to cover in one sitting. Diamant’s The Red Tent is escapist fiction at its finest.