The Marrying of Chani Kaufman / Eve Harris 371 pp.

The parallel stories of two couples, Chani and Baruch, newly engaged and soon to be married in the ultra-orthodox London suburb of Golders Green, and their Rabbi and his wife, Chaim and Rivka.  These four individuals negotiate the pulls of faith and community on one hand and the need for personal autonomy on the other, with varying results.

 I admire authors who have the courage to write small stories like this one, set in kitchens and small living rooms and in which there are no real villains.  And I appreciate the author's non-judgmental approach to her subject.  But it often feels as though we are reading about dolls moving around in a house rather than real people.  This is a pleasant if unexceptional first novel.