Exile

Review by Jeremy Taylor

Richard North Patterson has never been shy about taking on tough, often polarizing issues and representing one side or the other unapologetically. He has approached issues such as abortion, gun control, and the death penalty with an unsurprising liberal bent while treating problems like child abuse with a more universal negativity. Regardless of his subject matter, Patterson’s vivid characters and rich, deep plots provide a reading experience that is entertaining, educational, and often moving.

In Exile, Patterson has once again tackled a tough, polarizing issue, but this time he has mostly managed to avoid taking sides. The issue is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land, and show more rather than coming across as either pro or anti one side or the other, Patterson’s novel provides a social commentary that is at its heart pro-humanity and anti–senseless generational violence.

As always, Patterson has turned in a triumph of characterization, with protagonists so thoroughly fleshed out that it seems they must exist somewhere. The dialog is likewise superb—almost too much so at times. If the novel has an overriding flaw, it is that the characters’ speech is so polished and perfect that it risks seeming contrived instead of realistic. If real-life combatants in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were as well spoken as Patterson’s characters, perhaps a peaceful solution would have been found by now!

Not everything else about the book is positive. The story’s central relationship is based on a premarital sexual affair that later develops into an extramarital romance, and too much detail is provided in the book’s few sex scenes. Conservative Evangelical Christians are portrayed in a particularly dim light, as Patterson apparently believes (as some Christians do) that American dispensational theology has contributed to the tension in the Middle East.

The book’s pacing leaves a bit to be desired. The story slows down quite a bit in the middle but comes roaring back at the end with a dramatic series of courtroom scenes interspersed with last-minute fact finding as the main character desperately tries to get his client acquitted of murdering the Israeli prime minister.

Particularly impressive is Patterson’s balanced approach to the issue. He paints nationalistic Jews in a rather negative light and has somewhat disparaging things to say about American Jewish lobbying groups and pro-Israel political leanings. But he also slams Yasser Arafat as a “pariah” who “left his people nothing but occupation, violence, an economy in ruins.” The bottom line seems to be that “the only common denominator of occupation was that it degraded everyone.” Patterson displays thoughtfulness and thoroughness in describing the pros and cons of the so-called two-state solution, the horrors of the Palestinian concentration camps, Jewish nationalism in the wake of the Holocaust, and many other aspects of this extremely touchy debate.

In the author’s note at the end, Patterson points out that the book, with its many mentions of the rise of Hamas, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Hezbollah’s activities in Lebanon, etc., was already finished in mid 2006 when these and other Mideast dramas were played out in real life. Christian authors who write seemingly prophetic novels tend to credit Old Testament prophecy. Patterson’s take is purely secular but no less accurate, at least in the short term. He says of his ability to write about events before they happen: “I make no claim to prophecy; these sad events were utterly predictable. As so often in the past, extremists dictated the course of events, and while I hope publication of this book occurs in a materially better climate, I fear that it will not.”

Most readers will echo this hope, and many will add prayers. One day, peace will surely reign on earth; until then, we at least can rest in the knowledge that God is ultimately in control.

(http://www.cerebralexchange.com/books/reviews.asp?book=243&host=1) show less

I nearly always enjoy Richard North Patterson's books; the story is always good and the background interesting. In this case the former is true but the latter dominates. The story puts us all right in the middle of the Palestine-Israel argument and sets out in detail and, I think, fairly, the arguments on both sides. The sad thing is that it left me with the impression that the problem in insoluble and that even if a possible solution were to emerge, there are two many people with a vested interest in killing it off, both literally and figuratively [although I know understand these mean the same thing?]. Apart from the geo-political background being so well drawn, the legal aspects of this thriller are also fascinating. Both of these show more factors help to overcome the rather soapy nature of the main plot. This is well worth reading. show less

Patterson does an even-handed job of presenting the issues surrounding the Israeli/Palestinian conflict in this novel. Not everyone will agree with his assessments, but that's nothing new when it comes to this subject. It is however, a story worth reading especially considering today's events.

I found it compelling both from the perspective of the plot and the richness of the history; perhaps a little didactic in places but not overwhelmingly so

Engaged to be married and poised to run for the senate, David Wolfe's life is turned inside out when ex-lover and "the one that got away" Hana Arif asks him to defend her in a trial in which she is accused of leading a conspiracy to murder Israeli leader Amos Ben-Aron on American soil. His friends and colleagues are outraged and his fiance doesn't understand how he, as a Jewish man, can even think of defending the Palestinian woman charged with their family friend's murder, regardless of whether he believes in her innocence.

David was not immersed in Jewish culture growing up and doesn't understand the all-consuming attachment many people have to their cultural identities. Researching the case, he travels to Israel and gets a "total show more immersion" lesson in Israeli-Palestinian history.

As with his other novels, this story is so detailed with actual facts and discussions about real life legal and political dilemmas, that it almost doesn't seem like fiction. I have to admit that I had to replay some of the scenes when David was overseas because I got characters and historical events confused. Both sides are so passionate and articulately portray their wounds and desperation. Although it was good, this was my least favorite of the Patterson books I've read so far. show less

Plots don't get any more complicated than this -- and sadly, more predictable.

Patterson walks the razor's edge of madness by holding forth on two mutually-exclusive narratives giving each equal weight and validity -- and for that he gets full stars. For the rest ... meh, not so much.

I have to say that this is the first book in a long time which not only grabbed my interest but held it right up until the end.
Set amid the turmoil of the middle east crisis. Exile takes place in modern day San Francisco where the Prime Minister of Isreal has been the victim of a suicide bombing.
David Wolf an up and coming Jewish lawyer is asked to defend the prime suspect, a Palestinian women he dated in law school. David travels to Israel and the west bank to gather information on the various activists and groups which could be involved. There he sees first hand the heart wrenching results this occupation has had on both sides but particularly the Palistinians.