Disobedience (novel)

Disobedience

Company type	Novel
Industry	Literature
Founded	March 2006 (2006-03)
Founder	Naomi Alderman
Products	Novel
Website	disobedience

Disobedience marks the first novel by British writer Naomi Alderman, initially released in the United Kingdom in March 2006. This work has been translated into ten different languages. The story centers on the bisexual daughter of a rabbi who returns from New York to her Orthodox Jewish community in Hendon, London. Despite addressing a somewhat contentious topic, the book was met with critical acclaim, securing Alderman the 2006 Orange Award for New Writers and the 2007 Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award.

Synopsis

The plot unfolds through a combination of an all-knowing narrator and the first-person perspective of Ronit Krushka, a 32-year-old former Orthodox Jew living in New York, where she works as a financial analyst and is involved romantically with her married employer. Following the death of her estranged father, a prominent rabbi, Ronit returns to her upbringing neighborhood in Hendon. Her unconventional behavior causes a stir within the local Orthodox community. Upon arrival, she learns that her cousin Dovid—her father’s designated heir—is wed to Esti, Ronit’s former lover, leading her to face unresolved issues from her past.

Development

Naomi Alderman shares similarities with her protagonist Ronit, having been raised in the Orthodox Jewish community of Hendon before relocating to New York. The novel’s setting reflects places familiar to Alderman. Nevertheless, she has clarified that the story is not autobiographical. The process of writing this book contributed to her decision to cease practicing Judaism.

Critical response

Reviews for the novel were varied.

Lucy Beresford of The Telegraph commended Alderman’s perceptive insights into Orthodox Judaism and her empathetic humor, despite some shortcomings in the narrative structure. Elsa Dixler from The New York Times described Ronit as "sharp-tongued and self-aware," acknowledging that while parts of the plot felt somewhat forced, the portrayal of the insular community was engaging. The San Francisco Chronicle emphasized Alderman’s skill in exposing both imperfections and spiritual depth within this environment.

On the other hand, the book stirred controversy among members of the Orthodox Jewish community. The Jewish Chronicle published a strongly negative review, and another Jewish periodical chose not to cover it at all. In The Guardian, Dina Rabinovitch, an Orthodox Jew herself, criticized the novel for its predictable storyline and flat characterizations.

Accolades

Alderman received significant recognition for this debut: she won the 2006 Orange Award for New Writers as well as the 2007 Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award. Additionally, she was selected as one of Waterstones’ 25 Writers for the Future. The novel was shortlisted for the 2007 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature awarded by the Jewish Book Council, and also nominated for the 2008 National Jewish Book Award for Fiction.

Adaptations

In 2006, a ten-episode abridged version of the book was broadcast on BBC Radio 4’s Book at Bedtime, featuring narrations by Sara Kestelman and Tracy-Ann Oberman.

The story was adapted into a film released in 2017, directed by Sebastián Lelio, with a screenplay co-written by Lelio and playwright Rebecca Lenkiewicz. The cast includes Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams, and Alessandro Nivola. It debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival on 10 September 2017 to favorable reviews and was widely distributed in 2018.

Translations

Disobedience has been rendered into more than ten different languages, such as:

• (Sic!, 2006)
• , with translation by Christiane Buchner and Miriam Mandelkow (Berlin Verlag Taschenbuch, 2007)
• , translated by Maria Baiocchi (Nottetempo, 2007)
• (Algoritam, 2007)
• , translated by Hélène Papot (Éditions d'Olivier, 2008)
• (Ulpius-ház Könyvkiadó, 2010)
• (Saída de Emergência, 2017)
• , translated by Auke Leistra (Atlas Contact, 2018)

External links

• Official website: Disobedience