OK...Sounds intriguing, so I bought it at my favorite indie bookstore that is still standing. The novel is intriguing, and very well written & structured. It is also intense, and explores the dark aspects of the lives of these four characters. Some of this is tied into the the political and human issues of Israel & Palestine. But, Lazar doesn't seem to take a strong political position on this. Rather, he explores the anger & violence that is prevalent through all of the threads in the novel: Lansky & other mobsters, Holocaust survivors & the immigrant life, radical Israelis & Palestinians. In the end, I suppose this is what the book is really about: anger & violence, how it permeates our world, and decisions we make about it, whether we want to or not. Lazar handles a number of profound issues and does this with a deft touch. There are no preachy digressions or gratuitous violence. The stories & characters are believable and human. At the start, it might have sounded like I was talking you out of this book, but it is a worthy read.
