“The Book of V.” follows Esther’s story closely while illuminating her fight for agency in a patriarchal world, sharing the reasons behind why she refuses to shave and bathe in perfumes for the King who authorized a rampage on her people. It was implied that Vashti became a sex worker or a leper, but no one knows her fate for certain. I didn’t know then, but the adults were probably drinking.”Įsther was the clear heroine and fan favorite for the children to dress up as, but Solomon always had questions about the exiled Queen Vashti. “There was this whole spiel which the adults would perform and the humor in it really stuck with me. “There was this festive air,” Solomon says. The tight-knit congregation would come together for a pageant during Purim where the children paraded their costumes around a brick hall. Growing up, Solomon’s family belonged to Temple Ahavat Achim in Gloucester, one of the few synagogues on Cape Ann. (Esther becomes queen after the king’s first wife, Queen Vashti, is exiled - or possibly killed - for not parading around naked for the king and his friends.) But Solomon was interested in discussing the story with her children so they could understand the heart of the festival of Purim.

The narrative contains plot holes, and Solomon found its basis to be offensive. It wasn’t until Solomon revisited the story as an adult that she realized even a children’s book version of the story doesn’t make a lot of sense. The Book of Esther is a story from the Hebrew Bible about a humble Jewish girl who becomes the queen of Persia and saves her people from being killed. Solomon’s fascination with the Book of Esther’s contradictions, the almost mythical setting of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and her own naiveté about modern gender equality come together in her epic third novel. And the backbone behind both of these narratives is the story of Esther, the orphaned Hebrew girl who will become the Queen of Persia.

During Nixon's 'reign,' Vivian is publicly humiliated when her senator husband reveals a dark side of himself. In 2016, Lily agonizes over maintaining a feminist perspective on her identity as a stay-at-home mom and second wife. “The Book of V.” by Anna Solomon threads together the stories of three women during three distinctly different eras, yet somehow finds these characters repeating eerily similar refrains.

What do a 2016 Brooklynite, 1970s senator’s wife and ancient Jewish hero have in common? A lot more than you’d think. Facebook Email This article is more than 2 years old.

The book of v anna solomon