(STARRED REVIEW)

The Hilltop.

Gavron, Assaf (Author)

Israeli settler Othniel just wants to grow some arugula, some tomatoes, and keep

a goat. He wanders out of his settlement onto a hilltop overlooking the Judean

desert and a Palestinian village and comes upon the ideal plot of land. Soon he’s

the unofficial leader of an illegal little settlement contending with a monstrous

web of red tape. Israeli novelist Gavron (Almost Dead, 2010) populates this

outlaw outpost with transfixing characters, focusing most on two kibbutz-raised

brothers. Gabi came to the hilltop as a “reborn” intent on living simply and

honestly with God. Roni is a fugitive from a misadventure in America. Both are

risk-takers, but Roni, who quickly negotiates a deal to sell Palestinian olive oil, is

calculating, while emotional Gabi is a victim of his demonically vengeful anger.

As Gavron slowly reveals their rollercoaster pasts, life on the hilltop grows

evermore imperiled as the rogue settlers finally provoke the wrath of the epically

ambivalent authorities by triggering an international incident. This many-storied,

funny, shrewd, and tender satire dives into the heart of Israel, a land of trauma

and zeal, fierce opinions and endless deliberation. From failed marriages to

governmental dysfunction to the tragic Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Gavron’s

spirited desert saga embraces the absurd and the profound and advocates for

compassion and forgiveness, even joy.

- Donna Seaman