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EXILE
by Richard North Patterson
Macmillan, January 2007
684 pages
12.99 GBP
ISBN: 1405053739


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Richard North Patterson has, from his very first novel, demonstrated his excellence at plotting, characterisation and, not least, literate storytelling. Until now, the author has not ventured beyond the limits of American politics but in EXILE he tackles an extremely difficult subject: the sad state of relations between Jews and Palestinians, the rights of each to a country and the horrors of extremists willing to go to such lengths as blowing themselves up in order to further their people's ends.

The prologue introduces the reader to the two would-be suicide bombers, Ibrahim Jefar and Iyad Hassan. It is told from the point of view of Jefar, therefore the reader learns only, when Hassan takes telephone calls from their handler, that the person giving them orders is a mysterious 'she'. This introduction also casts light on possible motivations for Arabs who give up their lives with such enthusiasm, a concept with which westerners might have difficulty coming to grips.

Jewish lawyer David Wolfe has had his life planned successfully for many years. One small glitch occurred when he fell in love with Hana Arif, a Palestinian girl also studying to be a lawyer. Perhaps if David had been more observant of his own religion, such a circumstance would not have occurred but it did and David was devastated when Hana left with her fiancé Saeb Khalid. Now, 13 years later, Hana reappears in his life, married and with a 12-year-old-daughter, a girl whom Saeb is determined will grow up to be a traditional Muslim woman: dutiful, ill-educated and completely different from Hana's wishes for her.

David, because of his relationship with his fiancée Carole, meets the Prime Minister of Israel, Amos Ben-Aron. The politician makes a huge impression on the lawyer so the news of Ben-Aron's assassination the following day makes the event somehow more personal than would have been the case had David not met the man. Then, to make things even more complicated, Hana rings David, desperate for his help. She, Saeb and Munira have had their passports confiscated on suspicion of being complicit in the assassination. Eventually Hana is charged and imprisoned.

David, contrary to the dictates of common sense and even despite doubts about her innocence, represents Hana, a position that destroys his plans for the wedding to Carole as well as causing his abandoning all hope for a career in politics. The case necessitates a visit to Israel and meetings with politicians belonging to both Israelis and Palestinians alike.

At home, David is pitted against prosecutor Marnie Sharpe, the woman who was formerly his boss, a woman who dislikes him intensely and who sees a victory over Wolfe as even more desirable than against an antagonist whom she could regard impartially.

This is a particularly powerful piece. The research the author has performed must surely have intimidated a lesser writer. Patterson has covered much of the same ground he attributes to his protagonist and is not averse to describing the horrors suffered by both sides of the Israeli/Palestinian debate. It must be said, however, that the characterisations, especially of Hana and Carole, could well have been stronger.

The masterly tale told with Richard North Patterson's customary attention to detail is fascinating. I found it completely engrossing despite my usual distaste for reading about violence in that area (or any other in real life, to be perfectly truthful). The story can quite possibly cast light on what some westerners may perceive as a murky and mysterious hatred. It is a work which probably will not leave the reader for some time to come but which will certainly provide a greater sensitivity to news of yet further atrocities in the Middle East.

Reviewed by Denise Pickles, February 2007

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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