Post-World War II Jerusalem--with thousands of Jewish immigrants and diverse factions fighting against the British for Israeli independence--is the setting for Stewart O'Nan's 16th novel, showcasing his talent for crafting an intimate story. From Middle America (Last Night at the Lobster; Emily Alone) to F. Scott Fitzgerald's Hollywood (West of Sunset), O'Nan's characters bring to life a place and time, and City of Secrets is sure to both thrill and enlighten.
Brand, a Latvian Jew, has reinvented himself in Jerusalem after escaping Soviet and Nazi internment by chance, while his entire family perished. Driving a taxi provided by the underground resistance, he stealthily executes missions, undermining the British authorities, while ferrying tourists as a cover. At night, he goes to Eva, "the Widow," who, like him, "would always be another's, that dead love private, untouchable." Comrades in the movement, Eva and Brand share a reserved love, "a brittle consolation"; they do not speak of their past, and dare not reveal their roles. O'Nan's history is accurate, and the plot builds to the bombing of the King David Hotel in July 1946.
In a spare, noir style, City of Secrets puts a face on political violence, offering an unspoken parallel to current headlines. Eva and Brand spar: "So killing was no longer a sin?" he asked. "Not in the cause of freedom." Brand escaped unthinkable horror but places himself again in deadly conflict, dedicated to the movement until eventually forced to reinvent himself once more. --Cheryl Krocker McKeon, manager, Book Passage, San Francisco