jkatey's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and War
Minor: Vomit
lanaalsabbag's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. Sayed Kashua is a sufficiently talented writer, but all his books are the same. The plot, characters, struggles, everything.
cnvair's review against another edition
3.0
An important story somewhat dulled by a repetitive writing style and unlikeable narrator.
rosseroo's review
4.0
Much like the protagonist of this unsettling novel, the author is an Israeli Arab who has worked as a journalist for a liberal Israeli newspaper (Ha'aretz). When he becomes a father, he moves his wife and baby from Tel Aviv back to their home village, where life is instantly claustrophobic. At first, the noose is social, as their world shrinks from the cross-cultural cosmopolitanism of Tel Aviv, to the insular world of extended family in a small village. Then, when the Israeli Army seals the village for no apparent reason one day, it becomes literally claustrophobic.
Set around 2004, the story becomes a kind of quarantine morality play, familiar in popular culture (see, for example Stephen King's Under the Dome), but here transposed to an unfamiliar setting. As phones, electricity and water are cut off, and food becomes scare, the village first turns on the socially inferior West Bank Palestinians who hold menial jobs in the village, suspecting them as being the impetus for the Army attention. But within days the villagers begin to turn on each other, and civil authority completely breaks down, with power devolving to young thugs with guns. Contrasting with the dire situation are flashbacks to the protagonist's childhood and young adult years, showing the path that took him from the village to the big city.
Of course, the explicit theme of all this is the question of integration in Israel. Although currently comprising about 20% of the population, Arab Israelis have historically been treated as lesser citizens. The book is ultimately an exploration of the idea that no matter how much one tries to integrate or assimilate, Arabs will never be fully accepted as Israelis. The characters don't fit into the archetypes of Arab or Palestinian characters familiar to Western audiences, making it a much more interesting and nuanced read than one might expect. Worth pairing with Joe Sacco's graphic reportage Notes From Gaza, and the engrossing film Ajami.
Set around 2004, the story becomes a kind of quarantine morality play, familiar in popular culture (see, for example Stephen King's Under the Dome), but here transposed to an unfamiliar setting. As phones, electricity and water are cut off, and food becomes scare, the village first turns on the socially inferior West Bank Palestinians who hold menial jobs in the village, suspecting them as being the impetus for the Army attention. But within days the villagers begin to turn on each other, and civil authority completely breaks down, with power devolving to young thugs with guns. Contrasting with the dire situation are flashbacks to the protagonist's childhood and young adult years, showing the path that took him from the village to the big city.
Of course, the explicit theme of all this is the question of integration in Israel. Although currently comprising about 20% of the population, Arab Israelis have historically been treated as lesser citizens. The book is ultimately an exploration of the idea that no matter how much one tries to integrate or assimilate, Arabs will never be fully accepted as Israelis. The characters don't fit into the archetypes of Arab or Palestinian characters familiar to Western audiences, making it a much more interesting and nuanced read than one might expect. Worth pairing with Joe Sacco's graphic reportage Notes From Gaza, and the engrossing film Ajami.
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