Probably my favourite Israeli book. It is an
epic Jewish family history, but one with a twist. Most family histories are
either told in straight chronological order or as a prolonged flash-back, this
book looks at the stories of five generations of Mr Mani by taking a step
backwards every time and talking about the life of the father of the previous
Mr Mani. The book is also Yehoshua’s most innovative work from a stylistic
point of view: the five chapters are five dialogues, but the words of one of
the two interlocutors are always omitted by the author.
The book is a priceless portrayal of the
development of Israeli society and of Hebraism in general. It talks about
persecution and the path to a Jewish nation, but also about the Arab-Israeli
conflict. And somewhat I’ve managed to forget what is the big secret revealed
towards the end of the book, and this upsets me so very badly...
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