An Unorthodox Match is set in the ultra-orthodox community of Boro Park, Brooklyn, and is told through the points of view of several characters. Leah (Lola) is Jewish by birth, but was raised by a mother who wants nothing to do with the religion of her own upbringing. Leah only discovers faith and deeper meaning as a college student, and eventually pursues religious studies in her path back to observant, orthodox Judaism. Yaakov, a widower with five children mourning for his late wife, is a prize sought after by a slew of matchmakers, all looking to make a marriage involving his prestigious family. Yaakov's mother-in-law Fruma Esther wants what's best for Yaakov and his children, but not at the risk of their family's reputation. And getting involved with someone newly returned to religion is a sure way to get gossip flowing, possibly endangering the future standing of the next generation.

This book is a deep dive into the community and its social constructs, and does a good job of explaining why a modern, educated woman might turn to a world that outsiders view as repressive and misogynistic. Leah is an interesting character, and the author does a good job at letting us see why Leah might find a fresh meaning and purpose through religion, faith, and tradition.

I'd tried everything the secular world had to offer and still felt empty. I wanted something else, something that would give meaning to my life. In your world, I found so many of the things I'd longed for all my life: safety, order, rules, limitations, real community, deep values. But I have to be absolutely honest with you... I've also discovered some things I wasn't prepared for.

The family dynamics are well-drawn and touching, and I felt quite sorry for Yakov, his late wife (whose postnatal depression is only revealed late in the book, although there are certainly plenty of hints), and the children whose lives fall apart, until Leah steps in to provide love and order in their home once more.

Of course, as a 21st century feminist, I have a huge problem with religious rules that force women into "modest" clothing, declare them unclean when they have their periods, and require the rabbi's okay for a woman to stop having babies when she's clearly suffering and in severe distress. Through Leah's perspective, the dress requirements are freeing, keeping her body private and preventing men from seeing her as a sexual object -- but that only goes so far. Leah (or the author) seems to be a bit fixated on weight, and we keep hearing about how Leah has gained weight since giving up running (which she can't do as a religious woman, since the clothing and/or activity would be immodest). The issues around body image and looks got in my way quite a bit, as did some of the characters' attitudes around race and difference.

That's not to say that An Unorthodox Match isn't a good read -- it is. I was caught up in the story and invested in the characters... but I definitely was challenged by needing to put my own opinions aside in order to accept Leah's values and hopes.

Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies.