A Possibility of Violence is not a fast paced book, it is more introspective and analytical as Avraham makes his way toward, what he believes, is the right resolution to his case.
I thought this was a sweet, short book. No 12-year-old I know would use the language or vernacular you Mr. Friedman of New Jersey would use, but I understand the mechanics of trying to convey so much information to a young audience.
The narrative is easy to read and the author takes the reader on a worldwide tour with excellent descriptions of the Middle East. The characters are well written with realistic dynamic which works well.
The author casts a wide net across Israeli society when it comes to solving the murder Anat is working on. Anat is a strong protagonist who loves her job and has to deal with rampant sexism of her co-workers and her superiors who have half her intelligence.
The author managed to captures several aspects of Israeli society, the Russian immigrant, a soldier, politician, religious Jew, an Arab bird-lover and more. The point of view constantly changes in the story which gives the narrative it’s on dynamic and takes on a life of its own.
Zev Bronfman, an angry atheist who was brought up in a Hassidic home escapes death from a falling beam. This near death experience was a wakeup call for Zev, who leaves his parents for a not-so-lucrative job as a cab driver in New York City.
Ben Mendelssohn wants to be reunited with his belated wife, he will do anything to be with her again and on his birthday he puts a bullet in his head to accomplish the task. When Ben enters the Other World he discovers that finding a person among the millions who occupy the realm is not an easy task.
I was actually surprised to learn that Herzl cemented himself as a leading force in the Zionist movement in only 9 years, which is the time the book covers. In an aberration from conventional teachings, Mr. Avneri refutes that Herzl’s evolution of thought was not, as taught, out of the Dreyfus affair (which he covered as a reporter) but a gradual process.
An insightful book about the character of this very divisive politician.
The book is part history, part historical fiction. While much of the book is based on outstanding research and first-person interviews, some of the book is told from a perspective which the author himself wrote but relied on historical information for reference. A most interesting way to write the book and a brave decision by the author (who states his method in the forward).