Textile

A family contends with tragedy and the fear of impermanence in this new novel from the celebrated Israeli author of Dolly City. In the new and luxurious Tel Aviv suburb of Tel Baruch North, matriarch and Nighty-Night pajama factory owner Mandy Gruber has begun undergoing a series of increasingly radical plastic surgeries to cope with the absence of her son Dael, who is serving as a sniper in the Israel Defense Force. At home, she deals with her emotionally distant husband, Irad, a scientist on the cusp of a great discovery, and her daughter, Lirit, who is caught up in a disintegrating romance with a much older boyfriend. But when one of Mandy’s surgeries goes horribly wrong, Irad, Dael, and Lirit must detach from the individual lives they’ve carved out, and come to terms with their place in the family, and in the world at large. With understated flair and stoic wit, Castel-Bloom uses the Gruber family to explore the themes of globalization, materialism, superficiality, and longevity, anchoring her story in a neighborhood and attempting to “connect all this beauty and luxury to some kind of posterity beyond [the family’s] grasp.” Castel-Bloom once again captures the culture of modern-day Israel with provocative deadpan humor. (Nov.)