As war looms, a Londoner decides to move to Israel, as an Israeli at the same time yearns to leave: “Moving, absorbing…a great read.”—The Times In the heat of an Israeli summer, amid fresh attempts to restart peace talks with the Palestinians, Udi struggles to fill a UK immigration form. At twenty-six, Udi is a veteran of the Israel Defense Forces and has killed five men. He wants a new life, in a new country, and dreams of moving to London. Daniel is twenty-nine, a Londoner, an investment banker, an Arsenal fan, and a Jew. He wants for nothing, yet he too is unable to escape an intangible yearning for something more, and for less. He looks to Israel for the answer. But as the war with Hamas breaks out, Daniel cannot know that the star-crossed love of a Jewish girl and an Arab man in Jerusalem ten years earlier will soon complicate all that he thinks has become clear…
The new novel from the award-winning author of After Before (longlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction; shortlisted for the Waverton Good Read Award; longlisted for the Guardian Not the Booker Prize)
Shortlisted for the Guardian Not the Booker prize 2016
'This is a wonderful book. Intriguing, moving, absorbing... a great read.' -- Daniel Finkelstein, Associate Editor, The Times
He has always been good at tracking down things that are hidden, like cockroaches in his mother's kitchen cupboard, or tunnels in Gaza.
At 26, Udi is a veteran of the Israeli army and has killed five men. He wants a new life in a new place. He has a cousin in England.
Daniel is 29, a Londoner, an investment banker and a Jew. He wants for nothing, yet he too is unable to escape an intangible yearning for something more. And for less. He looks to Israel for the answer.
But as the war with Hamas breaks out, Daniel cannot know that the star-crossed love of a Jewish girl and an Arabic man in Jerusalem a decade earlier, will soon complicate all that he thinks has become clear.
