Underskin, by Orit Arfa: It is more than the milky challenge

After The Settler, a book which I greatly enjoyed for the inquisitive challenges and painful dilemma raised after the Gush Katif episode, Orit Arfa is back with an equally interesting literary investigation. A Berlin-Tel Aviv love story between Nilly, the 'settler' girl with a Shoah survivor grandmother and Sebastian, the handsome German.

The two of them met accidentaly on a beach but feel 'some twisted way' of being connected 'by our tragic history'. The past, but also the weight of the present and the political views and mishaps are shadowing the relationship and at a certain extent it makes the communication almost impossible, and this is not because the mother tongues are different. However, there are ways to put on hold the non-stop historical buzz: over the food and by developing the physical relationship. Or through music. After all, does it matter to be 'politically aligned with a romantic partner'?

What really matters at the end of the story - at least for now - is that every generation is writting its own story, although the past is always and will always be there. I really loved that this book is creating, for the first time, a framework for discussion about what might really mean a relationship in the everyday life between an Israeli and a German, especially for Jews of European descent. And if the young people themselves are carefree and careless, their parents and relatives are not. For me, it is one of the most noticeable contribution to the discussion about the 'Israeli exodus' to Berlin written in the English language - although, a community of Israeli living in Berlin and in Germany in general exists since the late 1970s in fact, but as far as I know, without a significant literary presence. 

The book also has a noticeable erotic component, and it is labelled accordingly, but I would rather consider that this aspect is just part of the story, but not the story itself. 

A book recommended to anyone looking for some fresh, bold voices and point of views about the human German-Israeli story.

Rating: 4 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered by the author in exchange for an honest review

Book review: The Settler, by Orit Arfa

It is a book I was waiting to read for a long time. Not necessarily for its title, but because I am still waiting for novels addressing in an intelligent, non-biased way the new intellectual realities in Israel and the genesis of the category of "The Settler" seems to be one of the most difficult to deal with in a 'normal', not-hysterical way. And either you love or you hate them, 'the settlers' are a very visible part of the nowadays Israeli reality. This book is a long waited beginning of a different way of writing about this sensitive topic, not only in Israel, and I am looking forward to more books covering the same issue.

The most enjoyable part for me regards the intellectual discussion regarding the failure of Gush Katif. For the main character of the book, Sarah, the 2005 tragic events were a turning point when she started to put everything under question, including her religious upbringing and the very deep roots of her Zionism. She continues to look for reason(s) and an alternative. Following the Rav Kook advice that it is a sparkle of holiness in everything, she found refuge at the Atlantis - the choice of the name is not accidental, as it refers to the disappearing continent with the same name - night club where she desperately tries to hide her past - the settlers were despised by the hip leftists clubber elites of Tel Aviv. But giving up your inner self, despite the provocative appearances - pants, unmodest clothes, smoking, drinking - is not easy and Sarah is looking for meaning. Recreating the spirit of Gush Katif - 'a utopia of Torah observance that lived out the highest biblical value of settling and serving the land of Israel' - is impossible also for her observant parents, and for many of those directly victims of the government juggling with the people's life. On the other end of the story, the peaceniks are nurturing the illusion that the state of Israel should make concessions for an equally illusory peace. The exchange of ideas regarding many important issues in this respect is very interesting and outlines common sense positions often ignored by the pathetic self-hate discourses.

The romance between Sarah and the rebel club owner Ziv Harel wasn't too appealing for me, although the process of her revealing herself is well outlined. 

A book I recommend to anyone interested to read a different perspective on contemporary trends of ideas and movements in Israel. Personally, I am looking forward with curiosity about the next book  by Orit Arfa.