This book was selected by a local community group for a review session.Prior to attending the review, I thought it was one of the most poorly written books I had ever read. The characters seemed unreal, the plot contrived and the writing tedious at best. The book provoked an intense range of emotional responses from the women in the book club.They clearly saw aspects of themselves and their neighbors in the characters. The confrontation between tradition and modernity, as well as the duplicitous face of communal kindness, are strong thematic tensions in the book. Based on information shared at the book review,these tensions mirrored people's own experiences. Reluctantly, I admit the book is useful in touching on truths that would otherwise remain unexplored.