Despite a slow start this book manages to make a close examination of Israel and Palestine entertaining as well as educational. It is a long book, and I was concerned in the first half that we were only seeing one side of the conflict, but the author remedies that in the second half, in a clever way that doesn’t let you forget what you learned in the first half.
The beginning is full of details, and while reading I wasn’t sure that taking in all this information would be worth it, but I should have had confidence that the writer knew what they were doing. There is some great writing in this book – and we can see the benefits of taking your time to say something, to linger on the moments and not rush through to the denouement.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author, despite the many famous books that he has written over the years. I chose this book to learn more about the issues, but I enjoyed the writing and the tradecraft so much that I suppose it is just a matter of time before I read his other books. Something to look forward to in the future.
Next I am reading The Winner by Teddy Wayne.
