EDGES O Israel, O Palestine

When Liana Bialik's mother takes her from the predictable confines of Westchester County, New York, to Israel in the middle of the 1960s conflicts, Liana's worldview and her sense of self are transformed. Heat; dust; the mingled scents of food, flowers, people, spice markets; simmering tensions between Israelis and Palestinians; and in the middle, a 14-year-old on the cusp of womanhood. Leora Skolkin-Smith has written a passionate, richly atmospheric novel whose intimacy reads like a memoir. Tovah Feldshuh narrates with such authenticity that listeners may be moved to talk back to the book. The mother's longing for the Palestine of old; Liana's edgy girl-woman voice; the mistrustful bargaining of a Palestinian shopkeeper. It's all here, and it's terrific. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2008]