JONATHAN WILSON is the author of eight previous books, including the novels The Hiding Room (a finalist for the Jewish Quarterly-Wingate Prize) and A Palestine Affair (a New York Times Notable Book and National Jewish Book Award finalist); two short story collections, Schoom and An Ambulance Is on the Way; and the soccer memoir Kick and Run. He lives in Newton, Massachusetts.
“The Red Balcony pleases on several levels: as an adventure tale, a
star-crossed romance and a detailed period piece. Mr. Wilson’s
novel is also strong as a legal thriller." —Tom Nolan, The Wall
Street Journal
“A sizzling tale of murder and high politics, sex and
betrayal . . . [The Red Balcony] successfully delves into the
conflicting loyalties and identities of Mandate Palestine." —Robert
Philpot, The Times of Israel
"A seductive historical novel . . . Despite the bright
Mediterranean sun, The Red Balcony is essentially—in structure and
in spirit—a noir . . . Wilson’s characters establish the
ideological spectrum of 1930s Palestine, with each representing a
political position we still find in Israel today . . .The Red
Balcony is delightful for bringing the undeniable mystical tinge of
that beautiful landscape to life . . . [yet ultimately] Wilson
reminds us that the land of Israel has always housed 'multiple
clashing dreams.'" —Randy Rosenthal, Los Angeles Times
“Throughout the novel, Wilson displays a great deal of empathy for
his characters. He includes arresting, sometimes shocking imagery,
such as a black swastika snapping smartly in the breeze, high above
Jerusalem—reminding us that this is, after all, 1933. Between its
near-painterly descriptions of the verdant Palestinian landscape,
and its lively portrayals of Tel Aviv cafes and Jerusalem
neighborhoods, Wilson’s prose is brimming with historical
verisimilitude, intriguing revelations, and immersive detail. The
result is one of the most satisfying literary portrayals of the
pre-state Yishuv ever written.” —Ranen Omer-Sherman, Jewish Book
Council
"Tensions . . . permeate. Enveloped in the region’s oppressive
heat and cacophonous politics, [Jonathan Wilson's Ivor] is prey to
shifting moods of uncertainty and alienation." —New York Times,
“New Historical Fiction to Read in February”
"Jonathan Wilson’s beautifully paced Palestine novel
kept me reading through the night. He knows his way intimately
around this colony-as-crucible, a stony outpost of failing
Empire teeming with Jews, Arabs, Brits who can be either and Brits
who can be neither, High Commissioners, low criminals, artists,
barristers, inspectors, and gendarmes, all of them trying to come
to terms with Mandatory rule and the mandates of their own
passions, which tend to get heated into history through politics
and violence. The Red Balcony extends Wilson’s previous novels set
in the region, this time through the story of what is arguably
Israel’s foundational murder trial—a tale of multiple identities
and loyalties that casts a shadow over the future State even while
providing an eye-widening view of its author’s bright and fully
ripened achievement."
—Joshua Cohen, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of The
Netanyahus
“Brimming with intrigue and atmosphere, The Red Balcony is a
captivating mystery set amid the tensions of British mandate
Palestine, where allegiances are always shifting and the shadow of
history looms.”
—Tova Mirvis, author of The Book of Separation
“Jonathan Wilson is spectacularly witty and wise, deeply generous
and intelligent, and his novel The Red Balcony is extraordinary.
Intimate and epic, character-driven and a flat-out page-turner, the
book manages to be a work of meticulously investigated historical
fiction that never feels weighed down by its research; what’s more,
it is enviably prescient. In short, this is one of the best books
I’ve read in years—I can’t stop thinking about it. A gorgeous new
novel by one of our very finest writers.”
—Molly Antopol, author of The UnAmericans
"Morality and passion collide in a sophisticated legal thriller. .
. Wilson’s smart, fast-paced novel focuses on the months following
the assassination of Haim Arlosoroff, gunned down on a Tel Aviv
beach in June 1933 after he negotiates a controversial agreement
with Hitler’s regime that will ease the international boycott
against Nazi Germany in exchange for allowing more Jews to flee the
country. Wilson maintains the suspense of the trial’s outcome until
his atmospheric story’s concluding pages, but there’s much more to
engage the reader before this mature work reaches its
end.”
—Kirkus Review (starred)
“Wilson illuminates life in Palestine under the British Mandate in
this engrossing legal drama . . . Vivid atmosphere animates
Wilson’s story of expatriates, in the manner of Lawrence
Durrell’s Alexandria Quartet and Malcolm
Lowry’s Under the Volcano. With a mix of intrigue, romance,
and 1930s realpolitik, the author immerses readers in Ivor’s
initial confusion and growing sense of moral clarity. Historical
fiction fans are in for a treat.”
—Publishers Weekly
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