The Red Balcony (Autorensignatur)

Jonathan Wilson

ISBN 10: 0805212868 / ISBN 13: 9780805212860

Published by Schocken Books, 2024

About this Item

Autorensignatur. A gripping historical novel of sex, love, and justice in the tinderbox of British Mandate Palestine, by the acclaimed author of A Palestine Affair In 1933, Ivor Castle, an Oxford-educated Jew, arrives in Palestine to take up a position as assistant to the defense counsel for the two men accused of murdering Haim Arlosoroff, a figure whose tactics to get Jews out of Hitler's Germany and into Palestine may have been controversial enough to get him killed. Ivor, an innocent to the politics of the case, falls into bed and deeply in love with Tsiona, a free-spirited painter who sketched the accused men in a Jerusalem cafe on the night of the murder and may be a key witness. As Ivor learns the hard way about the violence simmering just under the lid of British colonial rule, Wilson dazzles with his mastery of the sun-baked scenery and the subtleties of the warring agendas in Palestine. Ivor moves between the crime scene in Tel Aviv and the maze of Jerusalem, between the mounting mysteries around this notorious legal case and clandestine lovemaking in Tsiona's tiny studio in Safed. In the end, he must discover where his heart lies--whether he cares more for the law or the truth, whether he is an Englishman or a Jew, with whom and where he belongs.

Seller Inventory # 2e74b74b-2915-4a88-bf33-bf95c93f9b36

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Red Balcony (Autorensignatur)
• Publisher: Schocken Books
• Publication Date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0805212868
• ISBN 13: 9780805212860
• Binding: Softcover
• Condition: Fine
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)

About this title

Synopsis

Based on actual events, a gripping novel of sex, love, history and justice in the tinderbox of British Mandatory Palestine, by the acclaimed author of A Palestine Affair <p/>"The story of what is arguably Israel's foundational murder trial--a tale of multiple identities and loyalties." --Joshua Cohen, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of The Netanyahus <p/>"Pleases on several levels: as an adventure tale, a star-crossed romance and a detailed period piece." --The Wall Street Journal <p/> It's 1933, and Ivor Castle, Oxford-educated and Jewish, arrives in Palestine to take up a position as assistant to the defense counsel in the trial of the two men accused of murdering Haim Arlosoroff, a leader of the Jewish community in Palestine whose efforts to get Jews out of Hitler's Germany and into Palestine may have been controversial enough to get him killed. <p/> While preparing for the trial, Ivor, an innocent to the politics of the case, falls into bed and deeply in love with Tsiona, a free-spirited artist who happened to sketch the accused men in a Jerusalem café on the night of the murder and may be a key witness. As Ivor learns the hard way about the violence simmering just beneath the surface of British colonial rule, Jonathan Wilson dazzles with his mastery of the sun-drenched landscape and the subtleties of the warring agendas among the Jews, Arabs, and British. <p/> And as he travels between the crime scene in Tel Aviv and the mazelike streets of Jerusalem, between the mounting mysteries surrounding this notorious case and clandestine lovemaking in Tsiona's studio, Ivor must discover where his heart lies: whether he cares more for the law or the truth, whether he is more an Englishman or a Jew, and where and with whom he truly belongs.

About the Author

JONATHAN WILSON is the author of eight previous books, including the novels The Hiding Room (a finalist for the Jewish Quarterly-Wingate Prize) and A Palestine Affair (a New York Times Notable Book and National Jewish Book Award finalist); two short story collections, Schoom and An Ambulance Is on the Way; and the soccer memoir Kick and Run. He lives in Newton, Massachusetts.