Anita Diamant's The Red Tent concerns Dinah, the only daughter of Jacob and his first wife Leah, at 1700 B.C.E. or thereabouts. It takes place in the area around modern Iraq, but concerns a tribe that is nomadic.

The "red tent" of the title refers to the area of separation to which women were separated during menstruation and childbirth. This was a very ancient custom in that part of the world and I imagine many others.

The separation allowed the women to develop remarkable connections for support. The book paints vivid pictures of these relationships among wives, concubines, and the children they raised in concert. Jealousy is there, but for the most part, it seemed to take a back seat to the need to cooperate for survival. Also effectively portrayed are the relationships between Dinah and her twelve brothers, and theirs with each other.

These people lived very much within a pagan society with many deities; yet, as the book progresses they try to respect and even follow Jacob's observance of his father's (Isaac) and grandfather's (Abraham) monotheism.

The story is fiction, and while it differs from the scriptural account in many ways, it was true to the essence. There are two very marked differences, one of which I won't reveal. The other is that Dinah doesn't disappear after the events at Shechem, as she does in scripture.

I think that anyone interested in either religious or social history would find this book fascinating. I found it involving and evocative. I liked all of the characters, except for those who were decidedly unlikeable, and would most enthusiastically recommend it. It's a heck of a good read.