Colum McCann, Apeirogon.

- I found this novel, if that's what it is, very frustrating. In one of the most political regions of the world, Israel, where passionate engagement on one side or the other is a fundamental part of everyday citizenry, this book decides to be very sympathetic to both Israelis and Palestinians. It takes a neutral political position. Though McCann immerses us in the cultural, religious and social richness of both traditions the non-political stance diminishes Israel’s responsibility for the brutal suppression of the Palestinians. 

- As I read on, I became increasingly irritated. It was hard to fathom what the point of the novel was. Structurally, it's gimmicky - one thousand short chapters/snippets on all sorts of unrelated topics, some fascinating, some meaningless, many boring. Far too many were about birds (hence the cover). Why? 

- By far the best chapters were those describing the political realities of life in Israel for both Jews and Palestinians. The bureaucracy of Israel’s border crossings, for example, is absurd, even in hospital emergencies. The checkpoints are ugly. 

- The principal focus however is on the individual experiences of the two real life men, an Israeli and a Palestinian, and their personal histories. Their young daughters were killed, the Palestinian by a bullet to the head fired by an 18 year old Israeli soldier, the Israeli girl by a suicide bomber in a cafe. The form a bond of friendship and collaborate to work towards reconciliation and peace.

- Hence the 'novel' is not fiction at all, which explains the absence of plot or character development. It’s really a real world collage which slowly builds empathy for the men's tragedies. But the problem is it has a New Age sensibility about it - providing faux depth and rather corny meaningfulness. 'Meaning of life’ truisms are scattered everywhere and they are typically banal and vacuous. The two men are treated like saints, their stories over-egged and sentimental. The larger tragedy is the brutal oppression of the Palestinians. 

- Dwight Garner’s review in the NYT pans the book, and rightly so. Most other reviews highly praise it (eg, Julie Orringer in the NYT).