Songs for the Brokenhearted

In this heartfelt and lyrical debut novel from Tsabari (The Art of Leaving, a memoir) a Yemenite Jewish woman contends with her family’s origins. Zohara Haddad returns from New York City to her native Tel Aviv for her mother’s funeral in August 1995. She stays with her sister, Lizzie, and gets caught up in the family conflicts she’d hoped to leave behind. Their parents fled from persecution in Yemen in 1950, living at first in a squalid refugee camp with their infant son, Rafael, who was separated from them by camp officials, and whose unknown fate put a lingering strain on the family, causing Zohara to suspect her mother wished she had been born a boy. Now that she’s back in Israel, she angers Lizzie by attempting to warn her about her 17-year-old son Yoni’s involvement with a right-wing group. When Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated, Yoni happens to be in the crowd of anti-Rabin protesters and is arrested. At times, the historical background overshadows the central narrative, but for the most part Tsabari artfully plays up the religious and secular contrasts between East and West, and her well-developed characters, dramatic plot twists, and rich descriptions of Tel Aviv will keep readers turning the pages. This is transportive. Agent: David Forrer, InkWell Management. (Sept.)