Sadness is a White Bird - Moriel Rothman-Zecher - 4.5 stars, rounded to 5

[Susie]

Sadness is a White Bird came to my attention as it is on the Tournament of Books longlist. It was wonderful. It is a coming of age story about a young Jewish Israeli who has returned from America to commence his military service. In the time leading up to his enlistment he befriends a pair of twins who are Palestinian. He falls in love with each of them in their own way, and their relationship becomes intense and complicated. I won't say any more for fear of ruining the story, but I found the writing beautiful, the story well crafted, and the characters wonderfully drawn. Rothman-Zecher did a great job of highlighting the complexities of race relations in that region through a heartfelt and touching narrative. I'll be reading whatever he puts out in the future. I deducted a half star as there were a few lines that gave me pause - 'I was desperate to taste Nimreen's voice in my ear...', and 'The air was cold and crisp and tasty in my lungs...' They just don't work!

[Tracy]

And on to the list it goes!

[Susie]

I think you’ll appreciate this one Tracy.