Lo-ruhama. (No Compadecida) [Lo-ruhama. (Not Pitied)]

Hosea is a minor biblical prophet who preaches during the reign of Jeroboam II in the eighth century B.C.E., a time of particular decadence and spiritual apostasy. Usually regarded as an allegory of the love of God for His unfaithful people, the story of Hosea and his harlot wife, Gomer, is here novelized luridly in multichaptered sections that alternate between the two main characters. The title is apt, as no pity is shown to either the reader or Gomer, who descends into increasing depravity as she abandons Hosea and their three children for the more lucrative life of high-end prostitution, has an abortion that affects her deeply, loses her desire and her brothel, is taken in by a pimp, and becomes an alcoholic and a slave. The reader who perseveres through this horror will be pleading for mercy for this woman when, finally, God commands Hosea to purchase her freedom, just as rumors of the Assyrian deportation reach them. This fast-paced read is not for feminists or the impressionable, as various scenes are deeply disturbing. Recommended with serious reservations for bookstores with extensive historical fiction sections.—Carolyn Kost, Stevenson Sch. Lib., Pebble Beach, CA