Earnest, awkward and painfully shy, sixteen-year-old Assaf is having the worst summer of his life. With his big sister gone and his best friend suddenly the most popular kid in their class, Assaf spends his days at a lowly summer job in Jerusalem City Hall and his evenings alone, watching television and playing games on the Internet. One morning, Assaf's routine is interrupted by an absurd assignment: to find the owner of a stray yellow labrador. Meanwhile on the other side of the city, Tamar, a talented singer with a lonely, tempestuous soul, undertakes an equally unpromising mission: to rescue a young drug addict from the Jerusalem underworld and, eventually, to find her dog.
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‘A story of young love, triumphing in adversity,
it is also a dense, sympathetically drawn portrait of a vibrant community’ -- Sunday Telegraph
‘David Grossman is an exceptional writer with a rare honesty…clear language and superb characterisation’ -- Time Out
‘The difficulties faced by Jerusalem’s restless teenagers are brought to life in this exciting and zestful novel’ -- Sunday Times
it is also a dense, sympathetically drawn portrait of a vibrant community’ -- Sunday Telegraph
‘David Grossman is an exceptional writer with a rare honesty…clear language and superb characterisation’ -- Time Out
‘The difficulties faced by Jerusalem’s restless teenagers are brought to life in this exciting and zestful novel’ -- Sunday Times
About the Author
David Grossman is the author of six novels and two works of journalism. His most recent novel was Be My Knife. He lives in Jerusalem.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By lexo1941
Format:Paperback
David Grossman came to the attention of English-speaking readers when his novel 'See Under: Love' was published in the late 80s. I was a teenager at the time and it was one of those big, ambitious, monster novels you come across only a few times in your life; I'd compare it to Marquez or Pynchon, a dense, harrowing, weirdly magical experience. Grossman is a highly visible public intellectual in Israel, writing books about the Israel-Palestine conflict and urging on the Israeli government the necessity of negotiating with moderate Palestinians, which would make him seem wildly radical to a lot of western observers if it weren't for the fact that the Israeli government tends to be far to the right of the average Israeli citizen. His son was killed in 2006 while serving as a soldier in the Israel-Lebanon war, and Grossman made a memorable speech at the end of that year, castigating his government for its refusal to pursue a meaningful peace process and for destroying the lives of Israelis and Palestinians.
This is a state-of-Israel novel disguised as a kind of teenage adventure story, in which a boy trying to reunite a dog with its owner meets a girl trying to infiltrate a dodgy underworld syndicate of street performers. Grossman is alert to the corruption and demoralisation of Israeli society, but he can also tell a gripping yarn when he wants to, and this is a much zippier novel than 'See Under: Love'. It's hard to see how he made a story of desperate young people trying to find a way to live in a corrupt, violent, greedy milieu so enjoyable, but he did. I can't understand the comment from the reader who didn't like it, and I think that someone who clearly can't write has a nerve criticising an expert stylist like Grossman (even if what we're actually getting is Grossman translated into English).
This is a state-of-Israel novel disguised as a kind of teenage adventure story, in which a boy trying to reunite a dog with its owner meets a girl trying to infiltrate a dodgy underworld syndicate of street performers. Grossman is alert to the corruption and demoralisation of Israeli society, but he can also tell a gripping yarn when he wants to, and this is a much zippier novel than 'See Under: Love'. It's hard to see how he made a story of desperate young people trying to find a way to live in a corrupt, violent, greedy milieu so enjoyable, but he did. I can't understand the comment from the reader who didn't like it, and I think that someone who clearly can't write has a nerve criticising an expert stylist like Grossman (even if what we're actually getting is Grossman translated into English).
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By anonymous
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
What a beautiful book; Grossman's characters are so alive that they dance off the page. And I have never yet read a book- until now - in which the author manages to get into the mind of a dog and make her as vital as all the other key players ! Best of all, this book is based in the reality of modern Israel and still manages to be magical at the same time. Treat yourself: you'll love it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By dinamit
Format:Paperback
This is a wonderful, sensitive, and special book. Written in a beautiful vivid language, this is a breathtaking narrative of young persons' discovery of love, the importance of family, their own courage and of life outside of the protected universe of middle class family and friends. Couldn't put it down after reading the first few pages, and wept from joy when I got to the last page. The narrative is set in present day Jerusalem, which perhaps adds an exotic dimension to the story and makes it even more interesting. This is a very unique and unusual incarnation of "coming of age" novel, highly recommended to young adults and grownups.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Moving novel about the underside of Israel
Hard to believe that this is the same author who wrote the puerile 'ZigZag Kid'. This was really good. I'll never look at a busker - in Israel or anywhere - the same way. Read more
Published on 27 May 2007 by Jezza
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing
I read this book on holiday and afterwards wondered whether I had accidentally bought a book written for a teen readership. Read more
Published on 3 Jan 2006
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