Publisher: Twisted Road Publications

ISBN: 978-1940189-30-7  

In Acts of Atonement, S.W. Leicher follows the life-altering repercussions of the lives of a lesbian couple, Paloma Rodriguez and Serach Gottesman.

Paloma, a top-notch oncological nurse, is the only daughter of a Colombian immigrant mother from the South- Bronx. Serach, an accountant, is the daughter of a Haredi family from Boro Park in Brooklyn.

The couple live together in a splendid home in Prospect Park South in Brooklyn that Paloma inherited with particular rights accorded to a gay musician who lives with them. Paloma and Serach never married, even when same-sex marriage was legal in New York. “No need, they’d agreed. And too painful-at least on Serach’s side-since no member of her family would have showed up at their wedding.” And as Serach concluded, “her life hinged on nothing more than Paloma’s ongoing good graces.”

Although each trace their roots from diverse communities and cultural environments, they experience comparable challenges regarding their relationships with their families.

Paloma has to deal with her macho older brother, Manny, co-owner of Los Milagros Auto Repair Shop. Manny refuses to recognize that one of his sons has an intellectual disability. He declines to accept Paloma’s suggestion that his son be enrolled in a school for children with special needs. And we also discover a terrible family secret involving Manny.

Serach has to deal with being disowned by her family. Her brother Shmuely, the youngest member of her family and only son, teaches at a Jerusalem Yeshiva. After being in contact with Serach for some time, he totally rejects her and cuts off all communication with no prior warning. With his treatment towards his sister, he chooses Jewish theological laws and customs over basic decency

When Serach’s mother passes, Shmuely and his sisters don’t as much notice her presence, turning their backs on her, when she stands outside the cemetery grounds. They consider her behavior incompatible with Jewish Orthodox tradition and thus scandalous. Her family considers her a bad person, and they will have nothing to do with her. When Paloma challenges Shmuley’s behavior, Shmuely replies that Serach “forsook our law” and “I had no choice.”

Leicher leads her dynamic characters, each with their distinctive narrative voices, through complex psychological, sexual, philosophical mazes, and ominous adventures, including a near-rape, a shooting, and an arrest. Noticeable is how she crafts distinctive voices to her two protagonists, providing her readers with a deep understanding of the dilemmas and ambiguities of their respective lives. She also displays a talent for empathy, writing persuasively about deeply sensitive issues.

There is much to appreciate in this work of fiction as Leicher deftly interweaves images from the past and scenes from the present. She exhibits an intelligent awareness of two diverse cultures, notably ultra-Jewish orthodox rules and practices, that she peppers throughout the narrative. This is the informed and realistic understanding that is essential in creating a vivid work, both heartbreaking and disconcerting. Do we have a fairy-tale ending in this one? Not quite.

Follow Here To Read Norm's Interview With S.W. Leicher