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תל-אביב של שנות ה-90 היא הרקע שעליו מתרחש סיפור האהבה העומד במרכזו של הרומן של יעל הדיה. זהו רומן עירוני מאוד, צפוף וקלסטרופובי כמו עולמם הפנימי של גיבוריו, על זוגות ועל משפחות חד הוריות, על התבגרות ועל זיקנה, על התפייסות עם ההורים ועל הפרידות מהם, על תשוקה, מוות ואושר, ועל הכמיהה לילד - רומן המטפל בדיוק כירורגי בפרטים הקטנים של הנושאים הגדולים.
547 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
8 people are currently reading
130 people want to read
About the author
Yael Hedaya
6 books12 followersYael Hedaya was born in Jerusalem in 1964, and now lives in Messilat Zion. She holds a BA in philosophy and liberal arts from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and received an MA in English literature and creative writing from New York University. Hedaya has worked as a journalist and columnist for the mass circulation daily Yedioth Ahronoth and the Tel Aviv weekly, Ha'Ir. She was also one of the head writers of the acclaimed TV series In Treatment adapted by HBO. At present, she teaches creative writing at the Hebrew University and screenwriting at Sapir College. Hedaya was awarded the Peime Minister's Prize in 2001, and her novel, Accidents, was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award in 2006.
http://www.ithl.org.il/page_13658
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yael_He...
http://www.ithl.org.il/page_13658
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yael_He...
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 20, 2018
Dana was ten years old. Her mother died in a car accident.
A quiet awkward routine begins to take shape between father and daughter - both suffering from grief.
Funny scenes right from the start - sad, but funny! A school nurse - for example has a crush on Dana’s father. She can’t wait for the Dana to be sick ( a sniffle will do) - to call her ‘author-crush-Yonatan’ to the school.
Dana is simply an excuse.
Yonatan, 50 years old, became a famous author at age 30.
Noise of any kind bothered Yonatan ( other than noise he made himself typing or pacing restlessly around his apartment listening to classical music).
Dana remembered that when she was three or four years of age, she would stand outside her father’s study and hear rapid clicking of his keyboard and sometimes also the wheels of his office chair moving back and forth on the floor. Her mother, Ilana, would tell her not to play there as not to disturb her father - but after awhile, her mother understood that her daughter’s games involved listening to her father write, so she let her stand by the door as long as she kept quiet.
Dana picked up on her father’s moods very young. The noisier he was, the more confident and cheerful he was.
But Dana also remembered her mother telling her, “people change”.
After the death of her mother- she noticed lots of changes. He started speaking more softly. She had too. Everything was done quietly. Even his driving became more quiet- he didn’t curse anyone or get annoyed- so it seemed reasonable to Dana that the book her father started five years ago would now be written in absolute silence.
Time passes- two years later- Yonatan meets Shira, also a writer. Her first book is very successful. His own writing? Not happening.
As their relationship develops- we get a real glimpse of the trials and tribulations of blending families together with growing children. Shira has a sick father. Yonatan a sick mother. Dana has her own issues with friends.
This contemporary story could take place anywhere - but it doesn’t. It takes place in Tel Aviv, Israel.
What’s interesting - is that it’s ‘clearly’ not political - clearly showing us a family who faces death - grief -loss - by pure accident. ( not war).
The message comes through.
The writing is intimate- with gritty - textured characters.
The adults smoked like fiends.
Yonatan wears the same clothes until they are threadbare. ( faded corduroys and a brown suede jacket is his standard winter uniform)...
He tries not to pass on his aloofness to his daughter- but perhaps that’s impossible. To ‘conform’ almost seems like a naughty word for these secular Jews. Neither father - nor daughter like ‘groups’. Girl Scouts? not really the joining types.
But blending of families-( joining) - each person dealing with past history - memories - and current issues- coming together - it’s taking time and effort - but we see little steps of transformation...
They are all rather charming.... we feel ‘the love’.
I like Yael Hadaya’s storytelling.
The novel was a little long - a few lag spots - but overall - I enjoyed it very much.
A quiet awkward routine begins to take shape between father and daughter - both suffering from grief.
Funny scenes right from the start - sad, but funny! A school nurse - for example has a crush on Dana’s father. She can’t wait for the Dana to be sick ( a sniffle will do) - to call her ‘author-crush-Yonatan’ to the school.
Dana is simply an excuse.
Yonatan, 50 years old, became a famous author at age 30.
Noise of any kind bothered Yonatan ( other than noise he made himself typing or pacing restlessly around his apartment listening to classical music).
Dana remembered that when she was three or four years of age, she would stand outside her father’s study and hear rapid clicking of his keyboard and sometimes also the wheels of his office chair moving back and forth on the floor. Her mother, Ilana, would tell her not to play there as not to disturb her father - but after awhile, her mother understood that her daughter’s games involved listening to her father write, so she let her stand by the door as long as she kept quiet.
Dana picked up on her father’s moods very young. The noisier he was, the more confident and cheerful he was.
But Dana also remembered her mother telling her, “people change”.
After the death of her mother- she noticed lots of changes. He started speaking more softly. She had too. Everything was done quietly. Even his driving became more quiet- he didn’t curse anyone or get annoyed- so it seemed reasonable to Dana that the book her father started five years ago would now be written in absolute silence.
Time passes- two years later- Yonatan meets Shira, also a writer. Her first book is very successful. His own writing? Not happening.
As their relationship develops- we get a real glimpse of the trials and tribulations of blending families together with growing children. Shira has a sick father. Yonatan a sick mother. Dana has her own issues with friends.
This contemporary story could take place anywhere - but it doesn’t. It takes place in Tel Aviv, Israel.
What’s interesting - is that it’s ‘clearly’ not political - clearly showing us a family who faces death - grief -loss - by pure accident. ( not war).
The message comes through.
The writing is intimate- with gritty - textured characters.
The adults smoked like fiends.
Yonatan wears the same clothes until they are threadbare. ( faded corduroys and a brown suede jacket is his standard winter uniform)...
He tries not to pass on his aloofness to his daughter- but perhaps that’s impossible. To ‘conform’ almost seems like a naughty word for these secular Jews. Neither father - nor daughter like ‘groups’. Girl Scouts? not really the joining types.
But blending of families-( joining) - each person dealing with past history - memories - and current issues- coming together - it’s taking time and effort - but we see little steps of transformation...
They are all rather charming.... we feel ‘the love’.
I like Yael Hadaya’s storytelling.
The novel was a little long - a few lag spots - but overall - I enjoyed it very much.
November 2, 2025
Accidents is about two stymied writers who find each other. They fall for each other because they are both introspective mulling types and see it in each other and identify.
Yonaton is a widower, having lost his wife in a car accident when their daughter was around 5. He has 'lost his literary voice' since the accident. He is semi-famous having written two well known novels but has been supported by his father-in-law after his wife's death and has not produced anything since the accident.
Shifra is also a writer having achieved a best seller. She is currently at an impasse.
Dana is Yonaton's 10 year old daughter on the cusp of adolescence with all its trials and tribulations.
After introducing each character with long descriptions of their internal murmurings, the novel goes on to describe them coming together as a family.
Written in 2001 and translated in 2005, it has the trappings of a dated novel. People were still using answering machines and cell phones were not yet the common item of everyone. It is located primarily in Tel Aviv, with most of the scenes taking place within a 10 block radius. I kept looking at my map of Tel Aviv to understand the geography of the novel.
I found many of the descriptions inventive and thought provoking. Hedaya's juxtaposition of words was eye opening. The character development in the beginning felt long and drawn out and could have been achieved more concisely.
I came away with an understanding of writers blocks. I'm glad to have read the book.
Yonaton is a widower, having lost his wife in a car accident when their daughter was around 5. He has 'lost his literary voice' since the accident. He is semi-famous having written two well known novels but has been supported by his father-in-law after his wife's death and has not produced anything since the accident.
Shifra is also a writer having achieved a best seller. She is currently at an impasse.
Dana is Yonaton's 10 year old daughter on the cusp of adolescence with all its trials and tribulations.
After introducing each character with long descriptions of their internal murmurings, the novel goes on to describe them coming together as a family.
Written in 2001 and translated in 2005, it has the trappings of a dated novel. People were still using answering machines and cell phones were not yet the common item of everyone. It is located primarily in Tel Aviv, with most of the scenes taking place within a 10 block radius. I kept looking at my map of Tel Aviv to understand the geography of the novel.
I found many of the descriptions inventive and thought provoking. Hedaya's juxtaposition of words was eye opening. The character development in the beginning felt long and drawn out and could have been achieved more concisely.
I came away with an understanding of writers blocks. I'm glad to have read the book.
December 20, 2009
It's possible and indeed probable that my issues with this novel were spurned more by a lousy translation than its actual flaws, but I have to work with what I have so here goes.
My husband asked me what the book I was in the middle of was about. I said, a widower who is raising a ten year old daughter and meets a love interest. And that was at page 170. Apparently Hedaya's style is to tell ALL and I do mean all. What's more, she does it like this:
Yonatan asked Shira if she wanted eggs. Shira said no, she didn't, though she thought she might be hungry. He told her he'd make them anyway. She was glad. Yonatan asked if she wanted cheese with her eggs, or scallions. Shira said that when she was little her mother would use red onion. YOnatan said that ...
etc etc etc. JUST EAT THE FREAKING EGGS AND MOVE ON.
What was at times a thoughtful and insightful read was more often a reality show that moved painstakingly through the chapters. Hedaya's attempts at insight that fell short were her various oxymorons - it gave him a feeling of hope and despair. It filled her with excitement and dread. She was touched and disappointed by this. MAKE UP YOUR MIND.
Anyway very little actually happens in this book, and the characters are either boring or unlikable. Also, while it is set in Israel and everyone has super Israeli names, there was no sense of place at all. Maybe Tel Aviv is too much like Manhattan to spill otno the pages with any of Israel's color, but this was a big let down for me. As was the book.
My husband asked me what the book I was in the middle of was about. I said, a widower who is raising a ten year old daughter and meets a love interest. And that was at page 170. Apparently Hedaya's style is to tell ALL and I do mean all. What's more, she does it like this:
Yonatan asked Shira if she wanted eggs. Shira said no, she didn't, though she thought she might be hungry. He told her he'd make them anyway. She was glad. Yonatan asked if she wanted cheese with her eggs, or scallions. Shira said that when she was little her mother would use red onion. YOnatan said that ...
etc etc etc. JUST EAT THE FREAKING EGGS AND MOVE ON.
What was at times a thoughtful and insightful read was more often a reality show that moved painstakingly through the chapters. Hedaya's attempts at insight that fell short were her various oxymorons - it gave him a feeling of hope and despair. It filled her with excitement and dread. She was touched and disappointed by this. MAKE UP YOUR MIND.
Anyway very little actually happens in this book, and the characters are either boring or unlikable. Also, while it is set in Israel and everyone has super Israeli names, there was no sense of place at all. Maybe Tel Aviv is too much like Manhattan to spill otno the pages with any of Israel's color, but this was a big let down for me. As was the book.
September 16, 2009
No matter how hard I tried to stay awake ... I kept falling asleep while reading this book ... and worse still, having to reread the same passages to start over again.
This doesn't happen often ... but I didn't finish it and closed the book for the last time.
This doesn't happen often ... but I didn't finish it and closed the book for the last time.
October 26, 2016
I'll start all meta, maybe even pretentious, by remembering a quote from Ben Gurion, to paraphrase, about Israel becoming a normal country once its citizens do normal things in Hebrew. I can't speak to the Hebrew here, since I read a translated novel, but this is a book about Israelis who are incredibly normal.
Israeli culture peeks through with some of the food, the changing socio-economic state in Jerusalem, occasional references to statesman and newspapers, or nominally celebrated Jewish traditions, and fleeting concern, though never realized directly in the novel, about terrorism.
...actually it feels kind of wrong to call the Jewish observances "nominal," because in Israel wishing someone "happy new year" during high holidays, or taking vacations around Pesach or Sukkot are as normal as "Merry Christmas" and barbecues on Independence Day in the US. That's when I thought most about Ben Gurion--with the national normalization of Judaism. But the plot of this book over all was much more mundane. We are tracking a relationship between two middle aged people, starting with two shorter sections to describe their respective lives before meeting, and two longer sections to describe their courtship and the eventual normalization of their relationship, to return to that theme.
I think Hedaya could have cut some of the fat, honestly. The book was a bit stuffy with details and flashbacks, and particularly in the beginning she seemed to be accounting for every moment of the days of her protagonists. That also made it a bit disjointing when, in the final part, time moved a bit quicker until the anticlimactic event at the end. Although said event provided some closure for the story being told, the novel ceased on an open-ended note, with the man's daughter, Dana, on a school trip.
The characters are so self-absorbed, constantly living in their own heads, that it is difficult to get a handle on them as people until relatively deep into the story. The cast of supporting characters is relatively small, though perhaps that proves a relief, considering the narration--plus it speaks to the fact that the lovers, Yonatan and Shira, are pretty much loners except for their parents, Dana and a mutual friend. A few more voices sound from the continuous flashbacks. Yonatan strikes me as often dour and moody; similar effects annoy me less in the women, Dana because she is going through a nebulous adolescent phase of self-discovery, and Shira because of her father's health, plus the fact that she is actively writing fiction, and ergo had necessity to be a little out of sorts in the world. :p. It's perhaps indulgent for a novelist to write a novel about other novelists (who, in turn, seem to write about people like themselves as well. :p). But my real eyebrow archy moment comes from asking, how did Shira support herself, just on the sales of her first novel? Yonatan largely subsists on contributions from his dead wife's parents.
Throughout its course, the novel addresses interesting physical and mental aspects of growing up and navigating the world of cliques and parental separation; the acts of mourning and taking care of ailing, elderly parents; and yes, charting a course for a middle aged relationship. I bought Hedaya's nuanced interest in the human psyche, and it makes sense to me that she could be a writer on the Israeli tv program, "Be Tipul," which was adapted in the US by HBO as "In Treatment." Although I wish some of the minutiae of the 450 pages were dropped, I was genuinely intrigued by the character arcs for Yonatan, Shira and Dana. Also, despite that one gaping hole on the side, the cake on the cover looks delicious. :p. Maybe I should buy one for myself after a particularly unlucky day.
Israeli culture peeks through with some of the food, the changing socio-economic state in Jerusalem, occasional references to statesman and newspapers, or nominally celebrated Jewish traditions, and fleeting concern, though never realized directly in the novel, about terrorism.
...actually it feels kind of wrong to call the Jewish observances "nominal," because in Israel wishing someone "happy new year" during high holidays, or taking vacations around Pesach or Sukkot are as normal as "Merry Christmas" and barbecues on Independence Day in the US. That's when I thought most about Ben Gurion--with the national normalization of Judaism. But the plot of this book over all was much more mundane. We are tracking a relationship between two middle aged people, starting with two shorter sections to describe their respective lives before meeting, and two longer sections to describe their courtship and the eventual normalization of their relationship, to return to that theme.
I think Hedaya could have cut some of the fat, honestly. The book was a bit stuffy with details and flashbacks, and particularly in the beginning she seemed to be accounting for every moment of the days of her protagonists. That also made it a bit disjointing when, in the final part, time moved a bit quicker until the anticlimactic event at the end. Although said event provided some closure for the story being told, the novel ceased on an open-ended note, with the man's daughter, Dana, on a school trip.
The characters are so self-absorbed, constantly living in their own heads, that it is difficult to get a handle on them as people until relatively deep into the story. The cast of supporting characters is relatively small, though perhaps that proves a relief, considering the narration--plus it speaks to the fact that the lovers, Yonatan and Shira, are pretty much loners except for their parents, Dana and a mutual friend. A few more voices sound from the continuous flashbacks. Yonatan strikes me as often dour and moody; similar effects annoy me less in the women, Dana because she is going through a nebulous adolescent phase of self-discovery, and Shira because of her father's health, plus the fact that she is actively writing fiction, and ergo had necessity to be a little out of sorts in the world. :p. It's perhaps indulgent for a novelist to write a novel about other novelists (who, in turn, seem to write about people like themselves as well. :p). But my real eyebrow archy moment comes from asking, how did Shira support herself, just on the sales of her first novel? Yonatan largely subsists on contributions from his dead wife's parents.
Throughout its course, the novel addresses interesting physical and mental aspects of growing up and navigating the world of cliques and parental separation; the acts of mourning and taking care of ailing, elderly parents; and yes, charting a course for a middle aged relationship. I bought Hedaya's nuanced interest in the human psyche, and it makes sense to me that she could be a writer on the Israeli tv program, "Be Tipul," which was adapted in the US by HBO as "In Treatment." Although I wish some of the minutiae of the 450 pages were dropped, I was genuinely intrigued by the character arcs for Yonatan, Shira and Dana. Also, despite that one gaping hole on the side, the cake on the cover looks delicious. :p. Maybe I should buy one for myself after a particularly unlucky day.
February 9, 2023
Das Buch erzählt die alltägliche Geschichte von zwei Menschen, die sich ineinander verlieben. Trotzdem ist sie alles andere als banal. Die Autorin schreibt von den Zweifeln und Ängsten, die am Anfang der neuen Beziehung stehen. Sie erzählt auch, wie die Tochter des Mannes mit der Situation umgeht.
Auch als die Beiden zusammen kommen, ist nicht alles gut. Der Alltag holt sie schnell ein. Der Schriftsteller kann nicht mehr schreiben, die Eltern sind alt und die Tochter steckt in der Pubertät und kommt mit sich selbst nicht immer zurecht. Das sind alles Dinge, die ständig passieren. Trotzdem hat sie Yael Hedaya so beschrieben, dass auf mich den Eindruck von etwas Einmaligem gemacht haben. Auch wenn die Geschichte mehr als 700 Seiten hat, ist es mir zu keiner Zeit lang vorgekommen.
Auch als die Beiden zusammen kommen, ist nicht alles gut. Der Alltag holt sie schnell ein. Der Schriftsteller kann nicht mehr schreiben, die Eltern sind alt und die Tochter steckt in der Pubertät und kommt mit sich selbst nicht immer zurecht. Das sind alles Dinge, die ständig passieren. Trotzdem hat sie Yael Hedaya so beschrieben, dass auf mich den Eindruck von etwas Einmaligem gemacht haben. Auch wenn die Geschichte mehr als 700 Seiten hat, ist es mir zu keiner Zeit lang vorgekommen.
May 22, 2018
This held my interest because the author was able to get into the heads of her characters and paint an honest picture of pain and insecurity. I loved that it was set in Tel Aviv. I enjoyed reading the reviews of other readers which helped point out to me the ways that this book could have been different.
The book did hold my interest for most of the book. The ending seemed like a story of everyday life...
nothing extraordinary, but the fact that Shira and Yonatan met and established a relationship seemed like a wonderful thing.
The book did hold my interest for most of the book. The ending seemed like a story of everyday life...
nothing extraordinary, but the fact that Shira and Yonatan met and established a relationship seemed like a wonderful thing.
August 27, 2025
Eine banale Liebesgeschichte, abwechselnd aus ihrer, seiner und der Perspektive seiner Tochter beschrieben. Bei 750 Seiten könnte man meinen, dass es langweilig werden würde, aber genau diese Detailtreue hat mir gut gefallen. Jeder Dialog wurde analysiert, jede gedankliche Exkursion der drei Figuren beschrieben. Schade, dass das Buch so abrupt endete. Vielleicht meinte der Lektor "So! Schluss jetzt, Yael" und damit war die Story abgeschlossen und noch so vieles ungesagt.
May 17, 2008
one of the most insightful books into human nature and romance that i have ever read. hedaya, who was a lead writer for the israeli version of "in treatment," has an absolutely astonishing gift for dialogue and conveying the interior monologues that run through her characters' minds while in the midst of conversation. heartbreaking, eye-opening, and gorgeously written. also, the look at modern-day tel aviv schooled me thoroughly in how cosmopolitan and western-influenced that city has become.
August 31, 2009
I found this brilliant in knowing what some people think and say: 1) In the investigation of relationships - uncanny how she is able to find the right words in the right place. 2) Dana, the child even had some incredible insights for as young as she was, but they fit for me with single parent girls in their early teens. 3) Being with someone you care about, as they die, were often spot on too. I am glad I read it, even though it took way to long to get through. I haven't been to Israel in a very long time. This made me want to go again, it sounds like it is quite different today.
August 31, 2014
Loved Yale Hedaya's other book, Eden. And since I am also a widower like one of her main characters, this book grabbed me right away. Have to say though that it is just not as good as Eden because nothing much happens. The first half of the book you are waiting for the protagonists to get together, and the second half of the book you are waiting for two things to happen (one does, but I won't give it away.) Despite Hedaya'shuge talents for writing dialgoue and monologue, I was not caught up as much as I expected to be. It's a good novel, but moves slowly.
February 10, 2013
It always surprises me when books about fairly ordinary lives enthral me but this was definitely the case with this book (perhaps I'm just naturally voyeuristic). I loved the ease with which the author stepped into different lives and managed to see the world through so many different viewpoints with ease. It's also great to read a book where people with normal emotions, doubts and flaws fall in love and actually have sex without having perfect bodies.
January 6, 2008
Our Hebrew book club spent several months (almost a year?) reading this book. I finally switched to the English translation (Accidents) to speed things up, and that change made the book's slow pace much more bearable. This is one of those books about complex relationships that are never really resolved. As a result, I felt like it could have ended almost anywhere - not terribly satisfying!
January 10, 2009
A really interesting ensemble novel that explores the relationships between people. The story focuses on a widower, his daughter and their life together. That life changes when the widower falls in love and 'accidently' their lives become something completely different. I enjoyed the book but didn't find it to be spectaculor.
July 18, 2016
Hedaya is smart, good with words, but this novel was a long, long trek toward nowhere at 453 pages. I was never sure why exactly I was turning page after page of a long description of the absolutely quotidian life of some Israelis. The Israeli-ness of it made me a tiny bit nostalgic for my life there, but that was it.
July 20, 2007
A "slow-motion" book about a widowed Israeli author and his precocious 10-year-old daughter trying to make it work after the death of his wife. Enter fellow depressive author Shira. The emotions feel authentic, but the story draaaaags.
July 18, 2009
A very pleasant surprise. I picked this up cold off a table at the library and it was a sophisticated treatment of the relationship between a widower, his new girlfriend, and his daughter. Definitely worth the time.
August 24, 2008
Well, I couldn't finish it but I got through about half. I downgraded the stars from four to three.
June 24, 2011
I am excited to read this - it was written in Hebrew and has been translated...
July 31, 2011
Torturous to get through... so long and so slow...
August 22, 2011
Author's first novel. Needs more editing to tighten the story. Her subsequent novel "Eden" was a better effort.
October 22, 2024
Second time -3.5
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews