This year, winter in Israel was a long, drawn-out affair. After five years of drought, abundant rains fell, turning the hillsides and fields brilliant shades of green. Luckily, there are always good books to keep you company during the winter months. Listed below are some of the books I’ve read recently. I hope you will enjoy them as well!
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin (G.P. Putnam's Sons, January 2018). How would you live your life if you knew the date of your death? This is the secret revealed in 1969 to the four young siblings of the Gold family. Simon is the youngest and he is the first to leave the family’s New York City home for the gay life of San Francisco. His departure is followed by Klara, who elects to become a Las Vegas magician. Daniel starts a career as a doctor in the American army and eldest sister Varya throws herself into the study of primates and research into longevity among human. Each of these stories is told in turn and we follow the siblings and their unfulfilled lives as they approach the date of their predetermined deaths. Well-developed characters and highly recommended!
Goddess of Battle by Gwendolyn Rachel Ackerman (Black Rose Writing, August 2017). The Israeli-Palestinian conflict plays background to this novel, which takes place on both sides of the security wall. Tyra is an American immigrant who has volunteered for service in the Israel Defense Forces. Noureen is a Palestinian woman who finds love after marrying a much older man. The two first see each other on the sidelines of an incident at an army checkpoint. Instead of surrendering to the hatred and despair that divide them, the two reach across the barrier in a brave grassroots effort for peace. The characters may be a bit naive, but this compelling novel leaves the reader hoping that someday, fictional efforts like theirs will become a reality.
Beartown by Fredrik Backman (Penguin, May 2018). You don’t have to be a hockey fan to enjoy this novel set in a small Swedish town. Games on the ice serve as a colorful background to captivating human drama. The future of the town is linked to a team of junior hockey players and the families who support them. And then, the town is torn apart by an act of violence - the star player is accused of raping the general manager's daughter. The novel is told in a highly readable, conversational style and is followed by a sequel, Us Against You (Atria Books, June 2018). These novels were written by the author of A Man Called Ove – all of them truly enjoyable!
My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni (Thomas & Mercer, November 2014). I saw an advertisement for this novel in a BookBub newsletter. I was intrigued by the claim that the Tracy Crosswhite series "has garnered millions of readers across the globe." Reading the first in a series is the best way to be introduced to both the main characters and the author’s skills at keeping the reader glued to the page. Tracy Crosswhite is a big city homicide detective who has spent her entire adult life obsessed with the the disappearance and murder of her sister. Tracy doesn't believe that the man convicted of the crime is guilty, especially since the body was never found. Returning to her hometown in northern Washington State, Tracy searches for the real killer and unearths secrets from the past along the way. Readable, but not readable enough to lead me to the next book in the series.
Lone Wolf in Jerusalem by Ehud Diskin (Greenleaf Book Group Press, August 2018). This novel is set in the post-World War Two period, when the British military occupation is preventing the establishment of a Jewish homeland. David Gabinsky survived the horrors of the war by being active in the resistance. In Palestine the main thing on his mind is vengeance, not against the Nazis but against the British. David sets off on one mission after another, not working with the Irgun, Lehi, or Haganah, but rather as a lone wolf gunman. The characters in this novel come to life as does the historic period just before Israel was born. The book was originally written in Hebrew and is advertised as having been a bestseller in Israel. Lone Wolf could easily have served as the first of a series. An entertaining read!
Happy reading!
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