Thousand mirrors

Here comes my sweet Thursday again, when at last I can sit down and write. As usually, there are too many things to write about, but let's stick to books because I don't think you know much about this one.
It might be a shame but I have a special shelf for "low" literature in my bookcase. I keep there the books I got from someone who didn't know me very well and thought I might like these. These are books I probably won't ever read. But a couple of days ago I ran out of pre-stored library books and browsed through my bookshelf with a give it a try gesture and found Soharas Reise by Barbara Honigmann.
I read it in Hungarian, published by Ulpius, who are notorious for publishing "cheap" (popular) literature, like things that are advertised on the subway. For example, books by women's magazine journalists or stand up comedians. Usually there is a buy two and get a third for free sale on their books, but very rarely, by sheer luck, you can get something good as well.

Soharas Reise is the story of a Moroccan ex-pat, a mother of six kids. Sohara, a Jewish woman, grew up in Oran, where Jews and Arabs lived together until the Jews were made to leave the country. She married a bit late compared to cultural standards, to an orthodox Jew, who claims to be the Singaporean rabbi. He has all kinds of rigid religious rules. Most of the time he's studying his books or shouting at the wife and kids for something wrong they have done.
At the time of the story Simon, the rabbi has been away for about a year because allegedly he's on a mission to collect money for Jewish organizations. As he doesn't contribute, the family lives on child-care allowance, provided by the French government. Sohara spends her days in the closest neighborhood of their flat, doing household chores all day through. One day Simon appears to take them on a vacation, which he has never done before, and runs away with the six kids, leaving Sohara desperate and helpless. Sohara's only company is Frau Kahn, the neighbor, a survivor of German lagers. With the help of Frau Kahn Sohara learns to think of herself and sorts her life out. As she is telling us her peculiar story, the exodus from Oran and her life as an orthodox Jew, she takes a spiritual journey, at the end of which she is ready to reclaim her children.
I admit that I don't know much about Jewish culture, especially not about orthodox Jews, but somehow this story touched me. I think this is because of this common experience of womanhood that I so gladly refer to time and again. Besides, I like the way she tells her story. She's a bit simple but has the right instincts. It was a quick and smooth reading, only the end was too quick and I felt as if it had been cut in the middle.