A Perfect Peace

Even after disappointing initial expectations Amos Oz tells a great story with only a few hindrances before concluding impressively, if not quite as strongly as the story could have been.

At first I thought that this would be the story of a child of a kibbutz (usually socialist collective farm in Israel) leaving the place of his birth and attempting to set down roots and/or wander in other places, namely America or possibly through Europe. But instead (spoiler) the said kibbutz son doesn't leave until quite a while into the story and even when he does (again, spoiler) it's only to eventually return with a significantly changed outlook but very few altered actions on his part.

Oz writes deftly, creating for the most part a cast of three show more dimensional characters that act as symbolic proxies for whatever movement or ideology he wishes to represent, in this case the left and right, young and old wings of the socialist kibbutz movement in Israel from the old generation of Europeans who sired it to their children who are left with the burden of either carrying on the tradition (including it's failures and broken promises) or breaking with it completely as they are, quite truthfully, now products of a different land and a different mentality.

Neither side of the ideological divide is spared. The old are represented as patriotic and Romantic, but also as arrogant and shortsighted bullies. The young are depicted as capable and strong, but selfish and whiny. Oz seems to specialize in the multidimensional aspects of the Israeli Jewish character (in this case specifically Ashkenazi) and how it pertains to, and often clashes violently with, history, culture, and the prospect of change.

The book isn't perfect though, Oz's literary acrobatics can unfortunately commit a misstep now and again when he clearly tries for the poetic and the profound when the banal and the provincial would have been just as good or vice versa. His writing can come off small and ineffective just when he needs to pull out the stops and write with power and grandeur. None of the characters, save possibly Yolek who sadly bears a resemblance to people still living and annoying today, come off as caricatures, and that's most definitely a good thing, giving a level of depth and respect to the story, the characters, and the readers, who Oz treats as more than smart enough to appreciate nuance in the history of a complicated nation. Oz deromanticizes but does so with an understanding eye and a true heart.

A very good read and certainly worth the time. show less

Sort of feel like I don't ever have to read another Israeli novel now. Not that this was particularly great or comprehensive, but just sort of like - ok I get it now. I wouldn't read another one of his. Reminds me a bit of all those American men, John Updike, Phlilp Roth, Saul Bellow,carefully chosen words and all very meaningful weaving in personal and the political, but not very likeable and somehow the characters don't really grab you.

Story: 4.0 / 10
Characters: 8.0
Setting: 7.0
Prose: 7.0

Translated from Hebrew

Zeer aangenaam om te lezen, een heldere taal met toch de nodige diepgang. Zeer mooie beschrijvingen van plaatsen, landschappen, gevoelens, gedachten. De titel is enigszins misleidend: er zijn tussen de hoofdpersonen spanningen uit het verleden en in het nu en er is de latente dreiging van een nieuwe oorlog. Pas in het laatste hoofdstuk vinden een aantal hoofdpersonnages een zekere rust. Literatuur zoals ik het zeer graag heb.

Un descanso verdadero, una de las mejores obras del escritor Amos Oz, narra el entrecruzamiento de dos destinos en apariencia opuestos: el de Yonatán Lifschitz, un joven israelí ansioso de abandonar el kibbutz en donde siempre ha vivido y dejar su estéril matrimonio para empezar lejos una nueva vida, y el de Azarías Gitlin, un extraño y solitario idealista de la diáspora que llega con el único sueño de establecerse en un lugar y que es acogido por la familia de Yonatán.