The melting pot bubbles over

It is not surprising that the protagonist of journalist/writer/lyricist Yael Tevet Klagsbald's debut novel is a lawyer.

By VIVA SARAH PRESS
kosem book 88 224 (photo credit: )
kosem book 88 224
(photo credit: )
Psanter Behoref (Piano in Winter) By Ayelet Shamir Am Oved 315 pages Ayelet Shamir's new novel is a story of the tension between prosperous urbanites and underprivileged periphery citizens, Jews and Arabs, women and men. The plot takes place at Joe's Piano Bar in a village in the North. One winter night, Joe Ohana is working the bar with his pianist and a young Arab kitchen worker. A party of four men and two women stop in for a drink. A quarrel breaks out and awakens the sleeping demons of Israeli society. The characters here are not ready to make amends without protecting their egos. By dawn, the bar is in ruins and the Arab worker is rushed to the hospital. As in real life, readers are left to ponder whether or not things could have been different. Shamir won the Wiener Prize for Original Writing for Piano in Winter. Mishela Ahat Yamina (World Cup Wishes) By Eshkol Nevo Kinneret, Zmora-Bitan, Dvir 335 pages Jerusalem-born Eshkol Nevo also depicts Israeli society in his new novel, World Cup Wishes. It is the story of four close friends, who, while watching the 1998 World Cup final on TV, decide to write down their wishes for the next few years, hide them somewhere and, during the next final in four years, take them out and see how many they've managed to fulfill. Throughout the book, the four protagonists repress the political mess taking place while they try to live their lives. During the first intifada when they were soldiers, they stifled what was going on around them. The second intifada breaks out during the course of the novel. In the end, they are forced to ask themselves: In a reality like ours, can wishes really be fulfilled? Nevo is an award-winning writer who teaches at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Tel Aviv University, Sapir College and the Open University. Shuliyat Hakosem (The Sorcerer's Apprentice) By Yael Tevet Klagsbald Kinneret, Zmora-Bitan, Dvir 351 pages It is not surprising that the protagonist of journalist/writer/lyricist Yael Tevet Klagsbald's debut novel is a lawyer. The wife of Dori Klagsbald - a high-profile lawyer who most recently made headlines for killing two people in a car accident - Tevet Klagsbald writes about an attorney named Nadav who has it all and yet has nothing. In this romantic novel, she introduces readers to a gallery of characters connected to the handsome, charming and brilliant lawyer. From his wife Yasmin to his legendary ex-girlfriend Shiri, to his Midas boss Dan, readers meet a range of men and women who equally swoon at Nadav's feet. And yet, through a series of events - among them an earthquake - Nadav finds himself battling fears from his past. Readers follow him in his search through pain to happiness. Tevet Klagsbald is the daughter of Israel Prize winner writer Shabtai Tevet. She has worked for Haaretz and Ma'ariv and penned dozens of songs. Masmerim 06: Nitzahon? (Nails 06: Victory?) By various writers Hapayis Council for Arts and Culture 162 pages The sixth installment in the Masmerim series, this book is a selection of fresh literary segments, photos and comics. Writers featured in this collection include Savyon Librecht, Gafi Amir, Iris Mizrahi, Oded Neeman and Yoav Rosen. Topics about which they write include the search for happiness, the IDF, Kassam attacks and new literature among the new generation of Israeli writers. Twin brothers Asaf and Tomer Hanuka tell their stories through comic illustrations. These internationally acclaimed illustrators/storytellers tackle violence and vengeance in their works. Also in this anthology are beautiful and often haunting photographs by Oscar Abush and Yehudit Schreiber.