Exile

by Richard North Patterson

Book Overview

David Wolfe is a successful American lawyer being primed for a run for Congress. But when the phone rings and he hears the voice of Hana Arif--the Palestinian woman with whom he had a secret affair in... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805079475
• ISBN13: 9780805079470
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
• Length: 576 Pages
• Weight: 2.03 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.9" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

OUTSTANDING

This is an excellent mystery, filled with suspense while at the same time giving the reader a view of the complexity of the emotions and views of all sides of the Israeli Palestinian conflicts. The authors descriptions and detail made me feel as if I too had visited Israel and all of the places his character traveled to. The arguments and views of all sides were impressive and believable. This story opens a lot of thought for the reader to explore further. The history and the past was well researched. This book is long and offers a lot of details. Some may not enjoy this much detail, I personally did, as I felt it necessary to the story. I cannot see where a Jew, Arab, or a Palestinian would feel in any way slighted by this book, as it appeared to be fair of all sides. Of course this is a novel. As a mystery, it is well written, well researched and one I found difficult to put down once I started. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves reading.

a revelation and an education

Some years ago, my wife and I were dining with an Israeli couple in Haifa. We were discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Finally the Israeli man said: "You Americans think all problems have a solution. This one doesn't." Richard North Patterson has written a splendid book that uses the story of a Palestinian woman accused of complicity in the assassination of the Israeli Prime Minister and defended by her Jewish former lover to create an even-handed compassion for both sides of the bitter tribal conflict. Once hooked on the legal thriller aspect of the story. we avidly follow the lawyer's dangerous exploration of the conspiracy wherever it might lead. It takes us to Israel, to the West Bank, and to Lebanon where we meet a variety of people who have been touched and wounded by the conflict in a variety of ways. The legal theatics are gripping, as they always are in a Patterson novel, but this time the deeper impact of making this journey is a more profound empathy for the people caught up in this tragic situation in which everyone, according to their own lights, is right . For this book, 5 stars is not enough. I recommend it to you with all my heart.

An Excellent Book!

At one time I was an avid reader of Richard North Patterson's books which I always enjoyed. But it had been some time sinceI picked up one of his books and with thsi in mind I couldn't wait to begin Exile: A Novel. And what an excellent read this turned out to be. David Wolfe seems to have everything. A good job as a lawyer in San Francisco, engaged to a wonderful woman, he also is being slated to run for Congress. But with one phone call that about to all change. Thirteen years before, Hana Arif a Palestinian woman studying in the United States, met David at Harvard where he was a law student. They had a love affair for several months but she returned to the Middle East against David's protests and married a fellow Palestinian. Now her phone call to David is to say she is visiting the states with her husband and their 12 year old daughter. When she asks David to meet them for lunch, he is hesitant realizing his former feelings for Hana. A few days after David hears from her, the Prime Minister of Israel is assassinated while he is visiting San Francisco. And all fingers point to Hana as the woman who masterminded this assassination. When Hana is arrested for the murder, she asks David to defend her. But David a Jew while thinking about Hana must decide if he will risk everything to defend her or if he is willing to let somebody else do this and possibly fail. This was an excellent novel which doesn't take sides, but tries to explain the plight of both the Jews and the Palestinians. Two people who feel that Israel belongs to them and with little hope of settling this in the near future. The author offers novel while filled with suspense also offer readers a view of both sides and the difficulties of this living in Israel and those who are exiles from this country. I highly recommend this book.

Patterson does it Again!

This is an important book for the times we live in. Patterson deftly examines the Palestinian vs. Israeli problem with great skill and seemingly unbiased reporting. Both sides are portrayed with great emphasis on the violence and futility suffered by both sides. As with Patterson's novels on abortion and gun control, this novel takes a very difficult topic and renders it infinitely readable and understandable for everyone. I always anticipate Patterson's novels and this was well worth the wait. REaders will certainly benefit from this portrayal of both sides of a seemingly hopeless struggle.

Entertaining and Incredibly Informative

The middle east conflict is, in my opinion, the hardest problem facing humanity in the whole world. Understanding all the nuances, from both sides could be a major academic undertaking. Getting perspectives from key, leading figures could require incredible access for interviews and a huge amount of research and reading. Richard North Patterson takes all the boring, grunt work out of this and turns the process into a gripping read with great characters. He's done way more than basic homework, more like a dissertation, but being a great novelist, he's weaved in an education on the middle east conflict that not only provides a satisfying stimulating, stay up until you drop in the middle of the night read, but also a serious education. My Kudos to Patterson for doing more than just writing a brilliant novel. This book could contribute to progress towards peace.