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The Other End of the Sea
A stirring story of love discovered in unexpected places, growing us beyond who we thought we were—or imagined we could become
Summer, 1981—Following the death of her father, Becky Klein, an adventurous, naive young woman from the Midwest, sets out for the Middle East, in search of her Jewish roots. She discovers something more, in a Gaza garden near a refugee camp by the sea. There she befriends the garden’s owner, a Palestinian activist who has served time in Israeli jails. As their relationship grows, Rebecca finds herself drawn into a story of roots unlike the one she had imagined.
The West Bank, Cairo, Yarmouk, Benghazi—before long, their romance careens across a region in flames, child in tow, wrestling with conflicting maps of love, family and home.
Moving, yet brimming with flashes of humor, Alison Glick’s tangle with the search for purpose and commitment yields a bracing, radiant story for these times.
Summer, 1981—Following the death of her father, Becky Klein, an adventurous, naive young woman from the Midwest, sets out for the Middle East, in search of her Jewish roots. She discovers something more, in a Gaza garden near a refugee camp by the sea. There she befriends the garden’s owner, a Palestinian activist who has served time in Israeli jails. As their relationship grows, Rebecca finds herself drawn into a story of roots unlike the one she had imagined.
The West Bank, Cairo, Yarmouk, Benghazi—before long, their romance careens across a region in flames, child in tow, wrestling with conflicting maps of love, family and home.
Moving, yet brimming with flashes of humor, Alison Glick’s tangle with the search for purpose and commitment yields a bracing, radiant story for these times.
253 pages, Paperback
Published November 16, 2021
2 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
About the author
Alison Glick
1 book5 followersAlison Glick journeyed in the early 1980s to Israel, where she lived in a kibbutz and in a town near Haifa. After studying Middle East history at Temple University, she returned and lived in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Yarmouk Refugee Camp in Syria for six years, working as a teacher, human rights researcher, and freelance writer. Alison’s writing has appeared in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, Arab Studies Quarterly, and Mondoweiss. The Other End of the Sea is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 10, 2021
Alison Glick's novel immerses you in the physical and cultural beauty of Palestine and Syria, from the perspective of a young, impressionable Jewish American woman. Her character Becky experiences an unexpected unfolding of love and meaning to her life in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza following a stay on a kibbutz. After Becky forms a Palestinian-American family, love and kinship are strained by the pain of exile in Syria. A beautiful meditation on what can happen when we see injustice and refuse to look away. This a gripping novel that you just can't put down.
November 15, 2021
It's now out from Interlink Books (also available on Amazon, B&N, etc.). This is a gripping story, straight from the headlines of Israel/Palestine, but seen through personal experience of an American Jewish woman. And a very moving love story. I cannot recommend more highly! https://www.interlinkbooks.com/produc...
I couldn't put it down. You will laugh, you will cry. You will recognize human frailties and awe-inspiring strengths. You will think about the meaning of family.
I couldn't put it down. You will laugh, you will cry. You will recognize human frailties and awe-inspiring strengths. You will think about the meaning of family.
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February 2, 2022A memoir of a Quaker teaching in Ramallah, and her experiences witnessing Palestine.
May 4, 2024
The first description of Israel in The Other End of the Sea by Alison Glick (Interlink Books, November 2021) is harsh. “A sandy yellow-colored structure, three stories tall, with a few high-placed windows. It was farther back from the road than nearby buildings. A whitewashed concrete wall, topped with a spiral of barbed wire surrounded it.”
“That is Ashkelon prison,” says Zayn Majdalawi. “Where I was held as a political prisoner.” He is speaking to Becky Klein, a “nice Jewish girl from the Midwest” who had previously studied in a six-month ulpan program on a kibbutz and returned to the region as a teacher at a Quaker-run school in Ramallah. After visiting Gaza, she crosses back into Israel in a 7-passenger taxi along with Zayn, a Palestinian “who had not let the devasting, scarring events of his life so far narrow his vision of the future.”
Descriptions of Israel do not get any better in the novel. While visitors feel the “warmth of Gaza” and Palestinian gardens are “verdant and intricate with bushes of fragrant basil, plain earthy potatoes, and showy trees of lemon and almond,” Israel is a land of “truncheon-wielding troops [crushing] the bones of victims,” during the first Intifada.
Although this novel’s background is the Israeli occupation, and exposure to the struggle for Palestinian rights gives Becky a “new view of the world,” it transcends political commentary and can be read as a cross-cultural love story. Becky’s first visit to Gaza “was like the blossoming of a romance,” but her real romance is with Zayn, the man she falls in love with and marries in a shotgun wedding.
Marriage to Zayn, Becky quickly learns, is not what she had originally imagined. A few days after the wedding, he resumes sleeping elsewhere. He continues to distance himself from his wife, but whether this is because of the cultural gap between a Muslim and a Jew, or because of his fear of being captured by the IDF, is not clear. "I love you," Zayn says into Becky's hair, in a rare moment of outward affection, but he quickly adds, "Take care of yourself," and departs.
With Zayn constantly on the run, Becky follows her husband to the Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria, to Tunisia, and then back to Gaza. “What would I do here without Zayn?” Becky asks herself. “I came to this land without knowing him, but he had become an anchor, an interlocutor, a translator of all things Gazan and more. Could I be here without him?”
The Other End of the Sea reads more like a memoir than a novel. Eloquently written, it is full of vivid, detail-filled recollections; tourist-oriented descriptions of places and customs; and brief mentions of “memorable instances.” Yet, more than anything else, it is a bittersweet love story which questions whether it is possible to follow one’s love across the most heartbreaking cultural divides.
“That is Ashkelon prison,” says Zayn Majdalawi. “Where I was held as a political prisoner.” He is speaking to Becky Klein, a “nice Jewish girl from the Midwest” who had previously studied in a six-month ulpan program on a kibbutz and returned to the region as a teacher at a Quaker-run school in Ramallah. After visiting Gaza, she crosses back into Israel in a 7-passenger taxi along with Zayn, a Palestinian “who had not let the devasting, scarring events of his life so far narrow his vision of the future.”
Descriptions of Israel do not get any better in the novel. While visitors feel the “warmth of Gaza” and Palestinian gardens are “verdant and intricate with bushes of fragrant basil, plain earthy potatoes, and showy trees of lemon and almond,” Israel is a land of “truncheon-wielding troops [crushing] the bones of victims,” during the first Intifada.
Although this novel’s background is the Israeli occupation, and exposure to the struggle for Palestinian rights gives Becky a “new view of the world,” it transcends political commentary and can be read as a cross-cultural love story. Becky’s first visit to Gaza “was like the blossoming of a romance,” but her real romance is with Zayn, the man she falls in love with and marries in a shotgun wedding.
Marriage to Zayn, Becky quickly learns, is not what she had originally imagined. A few days after the wedding, he resumes sleeping elsewhere. He continues to distance himself from his wife, but whether this is because of the cultural gap between a Muslim and a Jew, or because of his fear of being captured by the IDF, is not clear. "I love you," Zayn says into Becky's hair, in a rare moment of outward affection, but he quickly adds, "Take care of yourself," and departs.
With Zayn constantly on the run, Becky follows her husband to the Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria, to Tunisia, and then back to Gaza. “What would I do here without Zayn?” Becky asks herself. “I came to this land without knowing him, but he had become an anchor, an interlocutor, a translator of all things Gazan and more. Could I be here without him?”
The Other End of the Sea reads more like a memoir than a novel. Eloquently written, it is full of vivid, detail-filled recollections; tourist-oriented descriptions of places and customs; and brief mentions of “memorable instances.” Yet, more than anything else, it is a bittersweet love story which questions whether it is possible to follow one’s love across the most heartbreaking cultural divides.
April 18, 2025
"Другият край на морето" Алисън Глик приближава читателят до живота в Палестина и дава една различна представа за хората и техните битки в търсене на нормален живот, без все пак да дава отговори на всички въпроси и може би малко едностранно, но не искам да насочвам отзива към политически размисли. Периодът е между 1982 и 2005 някъде.
Недостатък за мен е, че в края няма бележки от автора, с обяснение относно историческите факти и нейния личен опит в събирането им и изграждането на историята, но е живяла в кибуц, изучавала е история на Близкия изток и е пътувала и работила в Ивицата Газа и в бежанския лагер Ярмук в Сирия. Нейната биография до голяма степен я прави прототип на образа на главната героиня Ребека Клайн. Но в художествено отношение тя просто изглежда някак нереална, черно-бяла, липсва ѝ плътност. Така и не я усетих наистина, нейните мисли и чувства.
Ребека заминава за Израел в търсене на своите корени, след смъртта на баща си, но вместо да опознае страната, от която идва, за нея тя става някак враждебна и в контрапункт е силно привлечена от Палестина, която някак плавно ѝ се разкрива пласт по пласт, заедно с хората, които среща и опознава. Първоначално живее в кибуц, но при второто си посещение, след като е завършила следването си, започва работа в едно училище в Рамала, там се запознава със Зейн и между тях се развиват сложни и интересни взаимоотношения.
Зейн е може би най-сложният образ, въпреки че го виждаме само през погледа на Ребека. Той е част от един свят на принципи и твърди убеждения, грешки, младежки импулсивни решения, но избира да води своята борба не с оръжие, а като пише. На нея обаче ѝ се изплъзва богатството на култури в региона. И до края не успях да си отговоря на въпроса за нейните решения и защо е била щастлива в Палестина, но не и в Сирия. Може би в края вече я виждам по различен начин, като американка, която не може напълно да приеме по-традиционната и консервативна култура е някак твърде феминизирана (което за мен генерално не е лошо, просто не се вписва в сюжета).
Западът и Изтокът се преплитат неусетно, в много държави се наслагват влияние от мода, кино, музика, облекло, кухня, а в настоящето и модерни технологии и за мен не трябва да има противопоставяне.
"Той живееше сам в страна, която вероятно му беше по-чужда, отколкото на нас. Ливан даваше много възможности на жителите си да вкусват объркващото настъпване на западната култура в земи, които често се разглеждаха като враждебни към нея. Паметен пример за това беше да гледаме мюзикъла "Чикаго" в построения от римляните храм на Юпитер в долината Бекаа."
Много исках да я харесам повече, но стилът подхожда повече на хроника, действието е мудно, липсва динамика, но и емоция, някак важните решения и промените се случват монотонно.
Недостатък за мен е, че в края няма бележки от автора, с обяснение относно историческите факти и нейния личен опит в събирането им и изграждането на историята, но е живяла в кибуц, изучавала е история на Близкия изток и е пътувала и работила в Ивицата Газа и в бежанския лагер Ярмук в Сирия. Нейната биография до голяма степен я прави прототип на образа на главната героиня Ребека Клайн. Но в художествено отношение тя просто изглежда някак нереална, черно-бяла, липсва ѝ плътност. Така и не я усетих наистина, нейните мисли и чувства.
Ребека заминава за Израел в търсене на своите корени, след смъртта на баща си, но вместо да опознае страната, от която идва, за нея тя става някак враждебна и в контрапункт е силно привлечена от Палестина, която някак плавно ѝ се разкрива пласт по пласт, заедно с хората, които среща и опознава. Първоначално живее в кибуц, но при второто си посещение, след като е завършила следването си, започва работа в едно училище в Рамала, там се запознава със Зейн и между тях се развиват сложни и интересни взаимоотношения.
Зейн е може би най-сложният образ, въпреки че го виждаме само през погледа на Ребека. Той е част от един свят на принципи и твърди убеждения, грешки, младежки импулсивни решения, но избира да води своята борба не с оръжие, а като пише. На нея обаче ѝ се изплъзва богатството на култури в региона. И до края не успях да си отговоря на въпроса за нейните решения и защо е била щастлива в Палестина, но не и в Сирия. Може би в края вече я виждам по различен начин, като американка, която не може напълно да приеме по-традиционната и консервативна култура е някак твърде феминизирана (което за мен генерално не е лошо, просто не се вписва в сюжета).
Западът и Изтокът се преплитат неусетно, в много държави се наслагват влияние от мода, кино, музика, облекло, кухня, а в настоящето и модерни технологии и за мен не трябва да има противопоставяне.
"Той живееше сам в страна, която вероятно му беше по-чужда, отколкото на нас. Ливан даваше много възможности на жителите си да вкусват объркващото настъпване на западната култура в земи, които често се разглеждаха като враждебни към нея. Паметен пример за това беше да гледаме мюзикъла "Чикаго" в построения от римляните храм на Юпитер в долината Бекаа."
Много исках да я харесам повече, но стилът подхожда повече на хроника, действието е мудно, липсва динамика, но и емоция, някак важните решения и промените се случват монотонно.
December 22, 2022
Alison’s outstanding novel charts a young American woman’s journey to the Middle East following the recent death of her father, in the hope to uncover her Jewish roots. Reading almost like a memoir, it perfectly weaves Palestinian culture and the warming landscape of Gaza throughout the writing, allowing you to clearly visualise its beauty through the eyes of the protagonist as she absorbs and falls in love with everything it has to offer for the very first time.
As well as illuminating a profound love for Palestine and Palestinian people, Alison also explores the reality of a cross-culture romance through the blossoming relationship between our protagonist, Rebecca, and Zayn, a Palestinian who had been held as a political prisoner. Between them they are faced with the universal challenges of love, both in the understanding of the other’s individual culture and the threat that brings, and the likelihood of imminent geographical separation, particularly when children are involved.
Although love is very much at the heart of this novel, it sits against the backdrop of the lived experiences of Palestinians throughout the first intifada and beyond, and of the violence and atrocities which have been inflicted upon them as a result of Israel’s illegal occupation & settlement - which we all know remains ongoing to this day.
Along with Susan Abulhawa’s work, I would encourage you all to read this novel or at least add it onto your radar. It is so beautifully written, incredibly immersive & well thought-out and extremely difficult to put down or stop thinking about.
After speaking with the author, we agreed that this opens up a much wider discussion around the weaponisation of antisemitism, particularly in relation to the support of Palestinian rights. As the Israeli government have long held up the notion that to show support for Palestine is to be anti-Semitic. Which is completely barbaric and unfounded.
Thank you so much Interlink books for sending me a copy of this beautiful novel which now remains a firm favourite of mine 💙
As well as illuminating a profound love for Palestine and Palestinian people, Alison also explores the reality of a cross-culture romance through the blossoming relationship between our protagonist, Rebecca, and Zayn, a Palestinian who had been held as a political prisoner. Between them they are faced with the universal challenges of love, both in the understanding of the other’s individual culture and the threat that brings, and the likelihood of imminent geographical separation, particularly when children are involved.
Although love is very much at the heart of this novel, it sits against the backdrop of the lived experiences of Palestinians throughout the first intifada and beyond, and of the violence and atrocities which have been inflicted upon them as a result of Israel’s illegal occupation & settlement - which we all know remains ongoing to this day.
Along with Susan Abulhawa’s work, I would encourage you all to read this novel or at least add it onto your radar. It is so beautifully written, incredibly immersive & well thought-out and extremely difficult to put down or stop thinking about.
After speaking with the author, we agreed that this opens up a much wider discussion around the weaponisation of antisemitism, particularly in relation to the support of Palestinian rights. As the Israeli government have long held up the notion that to show support for Palestine is to be anti-Semitic. Which is completely barbaric and unfounded.
Thank you so much Interlink books for sending me a copy of this beautiful novel which now remains a firm favourite of mine 💙
December 27, 2022
Becky Klein grew up in the Midwest. A typical teenager Becky became more curious about her Jewish roots. Unfamiliar with the history and politics of Israel, Becky decides to travel to a kibbutz in Haifa during the summer of 1981. In a small garden near the kibbutz she befriends a young man who invites her to Gaza to meet his friends and family. This Palestinian activist, slightly older and infinitely more worldly, is intelligent and handsome - the two are instantly attracted to one another. Months later, their friendship grows and Becky moves to closer his neighborhood to teach English at the nearby Quaker school. She becomes immersed with a group of young people who belong to various global organizations trying to help the community in any way they can. Through decades Becky’s love affair with this man, his people and the land itself take her on a journey to places she could have never imagined. The Other End of the Sea is not just a love story and it’s not just about religion or politics. It’s depicts family, friendship and survival. A work of fiction that reads like a memoir, this is an outsider’s peek into a world few of us know much about. Thought provoking, sad and hopeful all at once.
May 16, 2025
A great view of Palestinian life in novel form
Well worth the read if you appreciate relationships under stress. It gives A view of the Palistinian challenges both in Gaza and other Arab countries.
Well worth the read if you appreciate relationships under stress. It gives A view of the Palistinian challenges both in Gaza and other Arab countries.
June 28, 2022
A thoroughly enjoyable love story in a far off land with struggles and joys that are the story of life. We all experience Love subjectively and others see us from afar. Is Love richer during times of upheaval and struggle? Do we choose Love or does Love choose us? Does Love endure in the absence of Self? Can we hold on through the twists, turns and gravity affirming dips that Love sends our way. All this and more are explored in this authors first book. A triumphant examination of what it is to be human, to fall in Love and........well, you will just have to read it.
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