Human Parts

by Orly Castel-Bloom

Book Overview

A novel of ordinary, every day life in Israel during multiple plagues -- deadly flu, economic collapse, apocalyptic weather, and suicide bombings.

"It was an exceptional winter." With understatement, Orly Castel-Bloom draws back the curtain on her disturbing, revelatory novel set in Israel during the Al Aksa intifada. This is a world already regularly interrupted by terrorist ambushes and suicide bombs. And now it is further plagued--by...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1567922562
• ISBN13: 9781567922561
• Release Date: November 2003
• Publisher: David R. Godine Publisher
• Length: 249 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.7" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

A short novel with great reach

Human Parts accomplishes two feats which are key to creating a novel that is both socially relevant and fleshed out in the arena of character development: Castel-Bloom is a master at showing us how the minutiae of everyday life can and will control people: the broken car, the bill at the Laundromat, the broken washing machine, getting the kids off to school. But Human Parts also circles ever wider, to illustrate the intrusion of the world of violence and conflict into our social existence. This is relevant for Israelis, and increasingly, for everyone in the world. You can be controlled by the lack of oil in your car just as much as the suicide bomber. Catel-Bloom deftly captures the unique predicament of our time in this novel of events and details.

A Significant Look at Life in Israel

Most Americans look at Israel and see one thing - a conflict with the Palestinians. That is a major issue, to be sure, but Orly Castel Bloom takes a deeper look - at the economy, the social strata and the racism that permeates this country on every level - identifying her characters as humans struck by the inadequacies of daily life - just like the rest of us. She is fiercely critical of Israeli culture, but holds on to an affinity and sympathy for her country at the same time. Orly castel-bloom is a phenomenal writer and this book is simply superb.