And now it is time to talk about a woman. An Israeli writer who has built up a remarkable body of work over the years. I can almost hear some of you exclaiming, ‘Oh no, not another one trying to introduce us to Zeruja Shalev. We already knew about Zeruja Shalev 10 years ago, thank you very much!’ I agree with you. Zeruja Shalev is famous enough; her achievements are great enough (my wife considers her one of the three greatest contemporary authors); nobody needs me to help them discover her work. I’m talking about another brilliant Israeli author—Ayelet Gundar Goshen. At home, ‘Ayelet’ has become my benchmark for novels. When I recommend a book to my wife, she asks me if it’s an ‘Ayelet’. If I reply, ‘Of course not, but 90% of…’, then she’ll read the book. Otherwise, I can just leave the it on her table, and she’ll take a look at it when she gets the chance. The first novel by Ayelet Gundar Goshen that I read was *One Night, Markovitz*. The title alone, with its ambiguity, is a gem. It narrowly beats *The Unbearable Lightness of Being*, clearly surpasses *The Satanic Verses* and, in my opinion, thoroughly outshines *The Name of the Rose*. The structure is precisely calibrated so that the reader is constantly expecting a different story from the one that is actually unfolding before them. You only realize just how well thought-out and effective the narrative pace (allegro – largo – allegro) is only once you’ve read the very last page. Her second novel, 'Waking Lions', takes the reader, wraps them up in a gripping story, and, leaving them both bewildered and grateful, elevates them to a level far above the usual ‘is migration an enrichment or a curse’ debate. There, she leaves them alone with a life situation that feels so real that, especially as a man, one cannot escape it. Personally, I didn’t really get on with her third novel, 'Liar'. My expectations had also become abnormally high. But then came 'The Wolf Hunt'. Here, too, there’s a magnificently crafted rollercoaster of emotions, but set in a Western environment, in a city that could be my own. For the first time, the author also lets the reader feel what it means to live abroad as an Israeli, knowing you’re exposed to latent anti-Semitism that can turn into a real threat at any moment. I think that’s what makes this book the perfect gift to give to someone who doesn't think anti-Semitism is a thing. ‘Uninvited Guests’, her latest novel, by contrast, is a story stripped down to the bare essentials about guilt and revenge; whilst set in Israel, it is universal. It could be set in a Bosnian town, in an ethnically mixed neighborhood in France, actually anywhere where difference can lead to mistrust. I see parallels with Camus’s *L’Étranger*, but Ayelet Gundar Goshen’s book is far harsher, more gripping, and more relentless. I currently watch all sorts of videos featuring this author. Unfortunately, due to the rampant anti-Israel sentiment among all the culturally ignorant oafs in my region, I am currently unable to see her perform on stage. Ayelet Gundar Goshen remains a young writer with enormous potential. Read her books and judge for yourselves. #Israel #IsraelLiterature #Books #Jewishculture #JewishLiterature