The single tree bent by the wind on an arid field is the perfect cover for Assaf Gavron’s 2013 novel, published here in 2014 with Steven Cohen’s English 
translation. On the face of it, brothers Gabi and Roni Kupper are the main characters. On every page Israel’s land, politics, and people – Jewish and Palestinian, settlers and kibbutzniks, religious and secular – share equal billing.
After several years with little contact, Roni arrives at Gabi’s dilapidated trailer in a tiny West Bank settlement having escaped his fast track New York life wearing a Hugo Boss suit, with empty pockets and no plan. Roni barely recognizes his brother, Gabi, who has crafted a new life as a religious ascetic and changed his name. A follower of the teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, Gabi organizes his life around daily prayers and learning, and turning a small shed on the edge of the settlement into a home. Seemingly gone are the traumas that shaped his life as a child and young adult.
Mixing flashbacks and the present day, Gavron presents two different worlds: daily life in Ma’aleh Hermesh C and the difficult childhood that helped bring Gabi and Roni there. Continue reading Book Review: Assaf Gavron paints a big picture from The Hilltop
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Is it the story or the storyteller? I’ve just completed a three-month trial with Audible.com. Selecting titles was harder than expected. Unlike picking a book off the shelf, choosing an audiobook involves the content and the reader. And can those readers differ. I sampled a few titles I am itching to read in the hope they’d fit the bill. What I discovered is that tone, cadence and pacing all factor into the audiobook experience. In the sampling process you don’t always have the chance to hear how the reader handles different characters/voices, a critical feature in experiencing the story. As a result, there were several titles I immediately dismissed in this format. There are many people who only “read” via audiobooks. I’m not there and suspect I will only dabble in this medium. But for those are unable to view the written word or prefer listening, there are readers who truly elevate an author’s story. 
