By Cindy Mindell

SOUTHINGTON – Artist Rebekkah is a Conservative Jew married to Avram, a much older and controlling man who tries to convince his wife that if she were more devout, God would bless her with the babies she desperately wants. A series of events leads Rebekkah to suspect Avram of unsavory business dealings, and she also discovers an insidious hidden agenda for his insistence on a more religious lifestyle.

While devoted to her faith and her marriage, Rebekkah is thrown into emotional turmoil when her suspicions prove true, and she begins divorce proceedings. Enter handsome and devoutly Catholic Nick Russo, the police detective assigned to investigate a break-in at the gallery that represents Rebekkah. As the case unfolds, so does the connection between Rebekkah and Nick, who eventually give in to the mutual attraction. When Rebekkah learns she is pregnant, she faces decisions that will alter the course of her life forever – and she must make them on her own.

This is The Art of Being Rebekkah, a novel by Southington resident Karoline Barrett (E-Lit Books, 2013).

The book explores issues of identity and faith, some drawn from the author’s own life. Barrett was born in Rochester, N.Y. and, like Rebekkah, was raised by adoptive parents. After a year in Waterloo, N.Y., her father’s job transferred the family to São Paulo, Brazil, where they lived until Barrett was 12.

While living in Indianapolis, Barrett earned an associate’s degree in business administration from Indiana Wesleyan University. A Jew by choice, she began studying Judaism when she became engaged to a Conservative Jew, continuing in synagogue adult education classes when the couple moved to Williamsville, N.Y. “I studied Hebrew and made it to the letter lamed before the classes ended,” she explains, at which point she learned independently from books. Barrett and her husband are members of Temple B’nai Abraham in Meriden.

Barrett studied poetry at Central Connecticut State University and knew she wanted to get serious about writing when she took a class at Long Ridge Writers Group in West Redding. Since then, she has published short stories, poetry, and non-fiction.

The Art of Being Rebekkah began its life as a short story. “I loved the characters so much that I wanted to expand on them, to see where they ended up,” Barrett says, inspired by the idea that one must write the book one wishes to read.

“I love reading novels filled with conflict, struggles, heartache – romantic or otherwise – and suspenseful twists and turns,” she says. “I am partial to character-driven fiction about people who have to make tough choices and take chances which might alter their lives. I knew I absolutely did not want to write a novel about vampires, werewolves, or a Fifty Shades of Grey-type novel. I chose to write a book about a devout Jewish woman who resists falling in love with a Catholic police detective when her marriage crumbles. Lots of possible struggles and conflict there!”

Barrett says that it wasn’t difficult to create a believable Jewish female character and build a Jewish world around her. “It was a lot of fun immersing myself in Rebekkah’s life and world in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn, where she lives,” she says. “I needed her to be religious and devoted to Judaism; otherwise, the challenges she faced wouldn’t be issues for her. I also wanted to include Taharat Ha-Mishpachah – halachic family purity laws – in my book; I wanted the mikveh to be a part of Rebekkah’s life.”

When in doubt, Barrett would consult an Orthodox rabbi, a Conservative rabbi, and her husband, as well as the Internet.

Barrett finds that the subject of interfaith relationships strikes a chord with Jewish and Christian audiences alike. At a recent author event, a Jewish woman and a Christian woman both shared personal stories of dealing with interfaith relationships in their own families.

The book also brings up wider issues of identity, Barrett says: Rebekkah’s adoptive mother reveals a secret about Rebekkah’s birth mother, which causes the main character to not only question her religious identity and her identity as a wife and mother, but also her identity as a daughter to two women.

Barrett hopes to inspire readers to consider what it takes to really get to know oneself. “The road to self-discovery and self-fulfillment is often filled with questions, struggles, trials, and tribulations, as well as emotional and personal discoveries,” she says. “Many times, only through these struggles can we grow; only because of what life throws at us are we able to discover who we are truly meant to be, who we are meant to love, and are able to pursue our true passions in life. I believe all readers can identify with some part of Rebekkah’s journey of self-discovery regarding love, faith, family, and identity.”

Comments? email cindym@jewishledger.com