May 22, 2023
In Israeli writer Blum’s moving English-language debut, an Israeli woman named Yoella contends with her estrangement from her daughter, Leah, who left home at 18. A painful scene sets the stage, with an older Yoella standing on a street in contemporary Groningen, in the Netherlands, surreptitiously peeping through the windows of Leah’s house to see her two granddaughters, ages six and five, for the first time. Yoella then recounts meeting an older professor named Meir Driman when she was 30. She tells him about her father’s death when she was a teenager and her episodes of depression, and soon the two become romantically involved and have Leah. She’s much loved by both of her parents, but Meir sometimes thinks Yoella doesn’t give Leah enough space to grow on her own and gain independence. Yoella in turn fears Meir will leave them after he has a short-lived affair with a student. In high school, Leah falls in love with a classmate who rejects her, setting off a cascade of misunderstandings that lead to disaster. Blum builds a great deal of suspense over what caused Leah to flee, and she creates a realistic portrayal of the joys, sorrows, and uncertainties of motherhood. This one hits hard. Agent: Deborah Harris, Deborah Harris Agency.
June 10, 2024
Israeli writer Blum's sophomore novel and English-language debut introduces Yoella, who stands outside her daughter Leah's house, thousands of miles from their home in Israel. Listeners learn that Yoella has not seen her daughter in years and has never met her two granddaughters or her son-in-law. She has no idea why her daughter has chosen to exile her from her life and is trying to summon the courage to confront her. The novel recounts their family life from Yoella's perspective, going back and forth from Leah's birth through the present time. Blum slowly reveals the complexity of their family as she introduces other characters, such as Yoella's deceased husband and Leah's school friends. With a measured, thoughtful tone, narrator Cassandra Campbell skillfully builds tension and breathes life into the people she portrays. VERDICT Share with literary-fiction fans and those who enjoy stories laden with psychological tension, like Sarit Yishai-Levi's The Woman Beyond the Sea. Listeners will be entranced and will look forward to more from the best-selling Blum.--Susan Cox
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