Imagine a wildly successful Shadchan who matches the unmatchable. She’s an anonymous Internet matchmaker who operates under the moniker Matchmaven. Now imagine that this mysterious Matchmaven is actually an 11th-grade student struggling to balance an unwanted double life of student by day and matchmaker by night.
That’s the premise of a new novel–an Orthodox Jewish comedy–that is getting rave reviews from major review publications, bloggers, and book lovers. The novel, called Playing with Matches, by Suri Rosen, takes place within Toronto’s Orthodox community. It’s by turns hilarious and heartbreaking as the protagonist, Raina Resnick, tries to find happiness for others and redemption for herself.
Raina’s troubles start when she is expelled from her Manhattan high school and sent to live with her strict aunt in Toronto. In her new environment she feels like she’s persona non grata no matter where she goes. Her sister, Leah, blames her for her broken engagement, and she’s a social pariah at her new school. One day, Raina is befriended by a woman, Tamara, on a city bus. Out of desperation she reluctantly agrees to set Tamara up on a date. Suddenly, Raina’s new email account, “Matchmaven,” is inundated with requests for Shidduchim. Raina finds herself plunged into the world of matchmaking as singles beg her to help them find their mates. One of them is her sister Leah.
As Raina secretly attempts to find a match for her sister, her life increasingly spirals out of control. (Her foibles include a hilarious date gone very wrong in a city park.)
“The first thing you need to know about Playing With Matches is that it is extremely, extremely, extremely funny,” one reviewer wrote. “Usually when people say ‘this book is so funny’ in reviews, I don’t take it to heart, because I seldom find humor in books as funny as everyone else. But TRUST me; this book is hilarious. The predicaments Raina gets herself into are outrageous.”
Playing with Matches is published by a Canadian publisher, ECW Press, and is written for a general readership. The reviews–from non-Jewish and Jewish readers alike–have been glowing.
“The story was light and fluffy mixed with bittersweet love lost and love found,” said one reviewer. “Peppered through the book were hilarious scenes that had me rolling with laughter.”
Many readers have commented appreciatively about the glimpse the book offers into the Orthodox Jewish community. “Before reading Playing with Matches, I didn’t know anything about Jewish culture and I had no idea matchmaking is even a thing,” said one reviewer. “But it is, and it’s a delightful thing! The matchmakers don’t just match people up and then step out of the way. Raina is called upon, time and time again. She’s asked to intervene in bad dates, to find a new match when the initial ones don’t work out, and to provide emotional support every step along the way.”
Other readers are commenting about a coming-of-age story where the protagonist’s growth is not dependent on finding a boyfriend. “I have to say the biggest (and best) thing that I didn’t see coming was the fact that Suri Rosen didn’t focus on giving Raina a love interest,” one blogger wrote. “This made Playing with Matches refreshing and unique compared to all the young adult books that do focus on love interest. Suri Rosen proved that there is more to a character than falling in love–and that’s an important message!”
Suri Rosen is a freelance newspaper and magazine writer based in Toronto. She has worked as a a professional artist, art teacher, filmmaker, journalist, and mini-documentary producer for a local television station.
Playing with Matches can be purchased through Amazon.com.
