The Hilltop

The Hilltop
ISBN: 9781476760445
Publication Date: 13 October 2015

Mordantly funny and deeply moving, this award-winning novel about life in a West Bank settlement has been hailed as &;brilliant&; (The New York Times Book Review) and &;The Great Israeli Novel [in which] Gavron stakes his claim to be Israel&;s Jonathan Franzen&; (Tablet).

On a rocky hilltop stands Ma&;aleh Hermesh C, a fledgling outpost of Jewish settlers in the West Bank. According to government records it doesn&;t exist; according to the military it must be defended. On this contested land, Othniel Assis&;under the wary gaze of the Palestinians in the neighboring village&;lives on his farm with his ever-expanding family. As Othniel cheerfully manipulates government agencies, more settlers arrive, and a hodge-podge of shipping containers and mobile homes takes root.

One steadfast resident is Gabi Kupper, a former kibbutz dweller who savors the delicate routines of life on the settlement. When Gabi&;s prodigal brother, Roni, arrives penniless on his doorstep with a bizarre plan to sell the &;artisanal&; olive oil from the Palestinian village to Tel Aviv yuppies, Gabi worries his life won&;t stay quiet for long. Then a nosy American journalist stumbles into Ma&;aleh Hermesh C, and Gabi&;s worst fears are confirmed. The settlement becomes the focus of an international diplomatic scandal, facing its greatest threat yet.

This &;indispensable novel&; (The Wall Street Journal) skewers the complex, often absurd reality of life in Israel. Grappling with one of the most charged geo-political issues of our time, &;Gavron&;s story gains a foothold in our hearts and minds and stubbornly refuses to leave&; (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).