Edna Mazya

Ilan Ben-Natan, a 48-year-old professor of astrophysics at the Technion, is married to Naomi, a 25-year-old illustrator of children’s books. He gradually realizes that she is growing distant from him, and eventually discovers that she has a lover. His attempt to follow her leads him to commit a terrible act, the nature of which cannot be revealed on the back cover.

From that moment on, his life becomes a series of attempts to escape the consequences of what he has done. Beneath the appearance of an ordinary life, he guards his secret while obsessively interpreting countless signs, most of them false, suggesting that he has been exposed. The only person with whom he shares his secret is his mother.

This is the kind of book that readers will likely be unable to put down before the final page: a witty novel about marriage, love and betrayal, regret and renewal. It blends comedy, psychological fiction, and suspense. The protagonist’s “astrophysics” provides striking metaphors for relationships drawn from the world of stars.

The age gap between the couple, which might seem to explain their relationship, is far from the whole story. This is not really a novel about “Naomi and her fathers,” but rather about “Ilan and his mothers” and it is no coincidence that both his mother and his kindergarten teacher play important roles in the complication and resolution of the plot.

By the end of the novel, is Naomi merely a new, gentler “mother” figure for him, or is this the beginning of a genuine relationship? Does Ilan, the emotionally parasitic “empty star,” truly begin to fill himself from within? The novel does not force psychological explanations upon the reader, but merely opens possibilities, “as in life.”

Like a melodrama, the comedy, psychological depth, suspense, and dramatic plot are all carefully orchestrated here, leading to a tender happy ending. Will the secret continue to serve as a source of energy beyond the novel’s final pages? If proof is needed that a highly readable novel can also be sophisticated and captivating from a literary standpoint, it can be found in this book.

January 1, 2005 by Picador

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