Jerusalem Publications, 368 pp.
Sometimes a world of unspoken emotion separates us from the
ones we love. And sometimes the heart opens and the
feelings flow unchecked, reaffirming our relationship and
our ability to connect.
So it is for young Shuki and his father who loves him so
dearly.
Likeable yet shy, Shuki spends far too much time worrying
about what his friends think than about what's important to
him. Better to hide than be different. And Shuki Katz has a
lot to feel different about.
A wartime tank explosion, for example, grossly disfigured
his father's face. His father's mind fared little better.
Unable to concentrate on his beloved gemora, Yitzchok
Katz cannot learn or review the material with his son, as
do all the other fathers on their small moshav. The
quiet life and the profession he chose also differs sharply
from that of the other bnei Torah in their community:
Shuki's father is a gardener.
Yet his father's warmth and affection for his son transcend
his physical features, and the Katz's garden is truly the
most beautiful in all of Arazim. The heartstrings keep
tugging, and the son yearns to reciprocate his father's
love.
There's a little bit of "Shuki" in all of us, a feeling
captured so eloquently in Walking Together by Mrs.
Yehudit Schreiber. Translated from the Hebrew (in which it
gained a wide and appreciative audience), this engaging
novel appeals to readers of all ages with dramas on both
the domestic and foreign fronts, woven together with the
skill of an accomplished novelist.
Shuki's search for balance between his relationship with
his father and with his friends coincides with another
search, this one on an international scale. IDF soldier
Yossi Nir disappeared into enemy territory 15 years earlier
during the disastrous Peace of Galilee campaign. Ever
since, Yitzchok Katz has dedicated his every waking moment
to digging up any clue -- and dreaming up every publicity
stunt -- that will bring his army buddy back home.
All fingers point to Syria, yet its doors and mouths are
tightly sealed. Only Yitzchok's strong faith and trust
guide him through the endless years of planning,
frustration and despair.
This richly textured novel is peopled by many other
characters who are both admirable in their strengths and/or
sympathetic in their weaknesses. They include: Shuki's
rebbe and classmates, a lively, talented lot; Yitzchok's
parents and brother, who cling to their secular ways even
as they acknowledge Yitzchok's serene Torah lifestyle; a
former army medic who made it big in biomedical research,
who makes a 360 degree turnaround toward full Torah
observance; and the parents and sister of the missing
soldier, who live out their days in suspended animation,
hoping against hope that their Yossi will return.
Always in the background, the fate of Yossi Nir dangles
literarily like a tantalizing carrot. Smoothly and
inexorably, the novel moves toward its nail-biting
conclusion.
Walking Together is a well written, well translated,
entertaining novel suitable for every member of the family.
