The Chosen
This was recommended by a friend - she does like intense books. What I liked about it was the peek into the world of orthodox Jews in the 1940s through the story of friendship between two boys and the story of their relationships with their fathers. It was also a history lesson about the birth of Israel. It's heavy and emotional, perhaps a little over the top for me. It's also personally hard to appreciate a story where the women are all but invisible.