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Infinite twists and turns are the most surprising thing about Phillip Kurata’s new novel, The Israeli. You can never predict the plot twists. In a nutshell, to paraphrase Nat King Cole, the book is unforgettable.
The Israeli, based loosely on the true story of Israeli spy Eli Cohen, takes the reader through a hair-raising ride through Egypt, Israel, and Syria, among other places. The book is 506 pages long. It’s full of minute details about the early life of Cohen in Egypt and how he is eventually assigned to spy for Israel against its bitter enemies in the Middle East.
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The author doesn’t appear to leave anything out. Similar to a Russian tome, in which the reader is introduced to an array of characters, you have to remember who’s doing what with whom.
What’s exceptional about The Israeli is that though it’s based on ancient tribal hostilities between Arabs and Jews, it has a universal application as to how enemies around the world have learned to hate one another. Kurata’s novel traces the source of the Arab-Israeli divide and whether that hate can ever be healed.
One surprising turn is that Cohen, working undercover in Syria, becomes great friends with those he’s asked to spy on, almost to the point that he’s more comfortable with them than with his own countrymen.
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What’s clear about the book is Kurata’s intimate knowledge of Middle Eastern mores and customs, having lived and worked in the region for a number of years. Though the action takes place in the 1960s, it feels contemporary to today’s hostilities in the Middle East. Unfortunately, nothing much has changed since then. The enemies still kill one other, even if they might not even remember why anymore.
As you continue reading, and without giving away the plot, the tension begins to mount. The reader starts to wonder—will Eli Cohen’s real identity be unmasked? You root for him and his new wife, and later his children, hoping they will stay safe. But if his role as a spy is exposed, what will happen to him?
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The only reservations this reader has about the novel is its slow start. It might try your patience. But if you stick with it through the early chapters, you are greatly rewarded. The tension builds to a suspenseful point, which you viscerally feel. If only for my blood pressure, I had to take short breaks from the gripping suspense. I was almost afraid of what would happen next. As they say, a real page-turner. This is a real thriller that leaves you drained and emotional.
Author Bio:
Eric Green, a Highbrow Magazine contributor, is a former newspaper reporter, U.S. congressional press aide, English-as-a-second-language teacher, and now a freelance writer in the Washington D.C. area. His articles have appeared in various newspapers and websites, including the Washington Post and Baltimore Sun.
For Highbrow Magazine