Good Reads / Community Library Notes
The Liar
Ayelet Gundar-Goshen
Review by Priscilla Comen
The Liar
Ayelet Gundar-Goshen
Review by Priscilla Comen
The Liar, by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen, who wrote the prize-winning “Waking Lions” is about Lavi Maimon and Nofar Shalev who live in Israel. Nofar works in the ice cream parlor. Lavi lives four floors above. He wants to jump out the window and Nofar wants to find a lover. Along comes Avishai Milner, once famous, now failing in his career and depressed. He enters the ice cream parlor, insults Nofar and grabs her hand. She screams the words he has said to describe her: Ugly, and fat. People on the street look at her. A policemen and a girl soldier come to her aid. She has never had so much attention before. The next day, the man is accused of attempted rape of a minor, fueled by Nofar’s sobs. The man swears he never touched her. Her story grows at the police station.
Avashai Milner sarcastically admits that he likes pimply-faced sixteen year-old girls. But a deaf-mute on the corner had seen it all. The next day, the story in the newspaper about her rape cheers her as she goes to work. An arts reporter comes to the ice cream parlor and Nofar blossoms before her. Lavi Maimon watches from the fourth floor. He sees that Nofar looks like his mother when she leaves his father to go to her affairs, when she feels free. Author Gundar-Goshen weaves these characters together deftly. Lavi tells Nofar he knows she is lying. What he wants is for her to say his name, to call him her friend, on television. She should say her friend taught her to scream when attacked. At the TV studio, a make-up artist transforms Nofar into a beauty. During the interview, the words roll off her tongue, the tears roll down her cheeks, and she remembers to say Navi’s name. At home, her sister Maya hugs her and praises her courage.
Nofar’s grandfather stares at her from a framed photo at her home. He had wanted his troops to retreat but no one had heard his voice. His second in command had yelled “charge” and so her grandfather had been hailed as a hero. She hears the word “liar” in her head. A girl with cropped hair walks with Nofar on the beach and tells her she too, had been raped. But she hadn’t told anyone. She was ashamed and afraid no one would believe her. Avashai Miner thinks about his career as he sits in his jail cell. He thinks, too about killing Nofar for ruining his life. Lavi thinks about kissing Nofar in the alley. They kiss in the morning but simply sit side by side. The blackmailer and his victim. The alley cats show them how to make love.
Nofar’s schoolmates are envious of her appearances on TV and on the radio. The grocery clerk is friendly. Lavi’s father believes his son is going to go to military training. He buys him all the necessary equipment and drives him close to the camp. Lavi walks the rest of the way out of his father’s sight. He stays at different beaches for five days, then returns home, exhausted and dirty. The deaf mute on the corner repeats “It isn’t true” over and over. Lavi’s classmates want to see a photo of his girlfriend, so he goes to Nofar’s house. He takes a selfie of himself and Nofar and her sister Maya. Maya is gorgeous. Lavi prints only the picture of Maya to show his friends. When Nofar travels to Poland, she meets Raymonde, an old woman who is pretending to be her best friend who was a holocaust victim and was chosen to go on this trip. She has her friend’s passport and tells her stories of life in the camps in Germany. A detective hears the deaf-mute repeating “It isn’t true.” She calls Nofar to come in for a lie detector test. Will Nofar tell the detective the truth in order to save the poor man in jail? Author Gundar-Goshen has written a wonderful, insightful fable about human nature and the truth. Find this on the new fiction shelf of your Mendocino Community Library.
Avashai Milner sarcastically admits that he likes pimply-faced sixteen year-old girls. But a deaf-mute on the corner had seen it all. The next day, the story in the newspaper about her rape cheers her as she goes to work. An arts reporter comes to the ice cream parlor and Nofar blossoms before her. Lavi Maimon watches from the fourth floor. He sees that Nofar looks like his mother when she leaves his father to go to her affairs, when she feels free. Author Gundar-Goshen weaves these characters together deftly. Lavi tells Nofar he knows she is lying. What he wants is for her to say his name, to call him her friend, on television. She should say her friend taught her to scream when attacked. At the TV studio, a make-up artist transforms Nofar into a beauty. During the interview, the words roll off her tongue, the tears roll down her cheeks, and she remembers to say Navi’s name. At home, her sister Maya hugs her and praises her courage.
Nofar’s grandfather stares at her from a framed photo at her home. He had wanted his troops to retreat but no one had heard his voice. His second in command had yelled “charge” and so her grandfather had been hailed as a hero. She hears the word “liar” in her head. A girl with cropped hair walks with Nofar on the beach and tells her she too, had been raped. But she hadn’t told anyone. She was ashamed and afraid no one would believe her. Avashai Miner thinks about his career as he sits in his jail cell. He thinks, too about killing Nofar for ruining his life. Lavi thinks about kissing Nofar in the alley. They kiss in the morning but simply sit side by side. The blackmailer and his victim. The alley cats show them how to make love.
Nofar’s schoolmates are envious of her appearances on TV and on the radio. The grocery clerk is friendly. Lavi’s father believes his son is going to go to military training. He buys him all the necessary equipment and drives him close to the camp. Lavi walks the rest of the way out of his father’s sight. He stays at different beaches for five days, then returns home, exhausted and dirty. The deaf mute on the corner repeats “It isn’t true” over and over. Lavi’s classmates want to see a photo of his girlfriend, so he goes to Nofar’s house. He takes a selfie of himself and Nofar and her sister Maya. Maya is gorgeous. Lavi prints only the picture of Maya to show his friends. When Nofar travels to Poland, she meets Raymonde, an old woman who is pretending to be her best friend who was a holocaust victim and was chosen to go on this trip. She has her friend’s passport and tells her stories of life in the camps in Germany. A detective hears the deaf-mute repeating “It isn’t true.” She calls Nofar to come in for a lie detector test. Will Nofar tell the detective the truth in order to save the poor man in jail? Author Gundar-Goshen has written a wonderful, insightful fable about human nature and the truth. Find this on the new fiction shelf of your Mendocino Community Library.