Esther Chehebar's juicy adult debut novel, Sisters of Fortune, provides an intimate glimpse into a community of Syrian Jewish immigrants in modern-day Brooklyn, through the intertwined lives (and fates) of the three Cohen sisters.
Chehebar's narrative opens as Fortune, the conventional middle sister, is preparing for her wedding to a perfectly nice Jewish guy. Named after her acerbic grandmother, Fortune has always been the obedient, capable daughter--but even she's starting to crack under the pressure of her future mother-in-law's expectations. Nina, the rebellious(ish) eldest daughter, moved to Manhattan for college but is back home at age 26, caught between her desire for freedom and her dependency (emotional and financial) on her family. And beautiful baby sister Lucy, nearly done with high school, has landed herself a charming, wealthy older bachelor. But will he pop the question? And if he does, is she ready to settle down? As Nina starts a new job in Bushwick and Fortune begins questioning her too-smooth path toward the altar, all three sisters wrestle with the gap between their personal longings and the stifling-yet-comforting traditions of their community, which Chehebar explores with wry humor and compassion.
Chehebar (I Share My Name) deftly shifts among the three sisters' perspectives, and although the sisters don't have many heart-to-hearts, they are watching each other's backs. Their bond--strengthened by religion, genetics, and years of shared history--matters more than their disagreements. But whether they're making knafeh in their mother's kitchen or searching for true love, they can count on each other for support as they experiment, make mistakes, and try again. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams