On Her Own

by Lihi Lapid, Sondra Silverton (Translator)

A moving, page-turning story of two families in crisis that melds the clock-ticking tension of Laura Dave’s The Last Thing He Told Me with the “issue-driven” gravity of Jennifer Haigh’s Mercy Street . Watching her Russian immigrant mother, Irina, struggle to put food on the table, Nina, a beautiful and restless teenager, vows her life will be different. When a strapping older man in a fancy car appears at school one day offering her luxuries her single mother cannot afford, Nina believes he’s her ticket out of her dumpy little town. Ignoring the danger signs and her mother’s constant pleas—which end in exhausting screaming matches—she packs a suitcase and leaves home after one last fight. Ten days later, a terrified Nina, her dress torn, is hiding in the stairwell of a Tel Aviv apartment after witnessing a murder she cannot talk about. She is discovered by one of the building’s tenants, a confused, lonely old widow who mistakes her for the granddaughter she hasn’t seen for a long while, not since her son moved his family to America. “You’ve come back to me, Dana’le.” Instead of correcting the mistake, the desperate Nina jumps at the chance for a place to hide. Hiding from her mother and the dangerous man who are both frantically searching for her, Nina settles into the old woman’s apartment. But how long can Nina possibly hide out until the poor woman realizes she’s not who she says she is, or before someone else – her homesick son in America who keeps calling, or the lovely local neighbors who drop by with groceries—catches on? Set between the eve of Passover and Israel’s Independence Day, On Her Own is a tense and immersive psychological read about two families looking for redemption, the transformative bonds between strangers, and the unexpected places from which love can grow. Translated from the Hebrew by Sondra Silverston

Genres: Fiction, Israel, Jewish, Suspense, Audiobook, Romance, Contemporary

336 pages, Hardcover

Published March 19, 2024

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous novel about the resilience of women and a love letter to the people of Israel. It’s set between Passover and Israel Independence Day, with Memorial Day right before the latter. The English translation comes out at a time when people around the world are so against Israel just for existing. I think anyone who has an ounce of curiosity would do well to read this book and learn about the layered cultures of Israel and Israelis.

[Bonnie G. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This defined mediocre at all times it was not actively bad. This is a ball of reactionary antifeminist tropes where women have no merit, no life unless defined by men or children. My son and I have a running Jewish mother joke, when he doesn't check in I text "It's okay. I will just sit alone in the dark." That joke is not a joke here. There is an ongoing plot about how shameful it is that one character's son went to America (where he has a good job and is raising a family) and left her "alone." People reach out to her, but she just sits alone in her dirty apartment. By the time we meet her she is sliding into dementia, but it is clear that she was this way before the dementia, from the moment her husband died. She lives in the past, mourning a dead son and husband, and it is the duty of this surviving son to be there. We are all supposed to agree that his redemption will only happen when he returns to take care of his mother who has no life by choice. There are all sorts of other Freudian lite storylines. My God the Daddy Issues that lurk at the center of this are enough to induce nausea. Also, the writing is stilted and elementary. It is like she took a class at whatever the Tel Aviv version of the Learning Annex or Trump University is and wrote a book. Lapid is the wife of Israel's opposition leader, former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who is one of the more reasonable people in Israeli politics, so I want to be supportive of her as a symbol of centrist Israeli thought, but ugh!

[J Kromrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

On her own

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Trigger warning regarding rape and domestic violence.

This book starts off at 1,000 RPM and although it is initially shocking and hard to read, PLEASE keep reading - it is so worth getting through the difficult first part.

In whole, this is a beautiful book about familial closeness, distance, and then reconnection, as well as making bad choices and working through them to a fulfilling future.

Although the first few pages were as shocking as jumping in a cold lake in the fall, this book earned 5 stars from this reader and the author has earned a new fan!

[Reuven · Rating 4 out of 5]

חייה של כרמלה הקשישה אינם קלים. חוותה אובדן ועצב, אינה חזקה וצלולה כבצעירותה.
יום אחד, הפתעה על סף ביתה. הזמן הכי ישראלי, חול המועד פסח. אוטוטו המימונה, יום הזיכרון והעצמאות. היא פותחת את דלת דירתה בתל אביב ורואה את דנה, נכדתה היפה שבאה מאמריקה- בתו של איתמר שהיה תמיד הילד של אמא ומצליח מעבר לים- יושבת על המדרגות, מבוגרת מכפי שזכרה.
האושר מציף אותה והיא מזמינה אותה להיכנס. בואי, דנה'לה, ילדה אהובה שלי.
נינה לא מבינה מה הקשישה הזרה רוצה ממנה, מי זו דנה ומה פתאום היא מזמינה אותה אליה. אבל היא לא תרחיק יחפה ובמיני קרוע, חסרת פרוטה וללא הסלולרי וזקוקה למקלט זמני אחרי הזעזוע שחוותה ונמלטה. ג'וני שמואלי המניאק הכוחני מפחיד עד מוות והריב הנורא עם אמא. כרגע אין לה לאן לחזור.
חייהן של נינה והאם אירנה לא קלים. שכונה קשוחה למדי. האם עובדת קשה לשים אוכל על שולחנן ולשלם שכירות, ובעוד חברותיה לכיתה עושות פרצופים לאינסטוש ולומדות לבגרות היא מסובכת עם החבר'ה הרעים למגינת לבה של האם. הילדה צריכה בגרות ולא את שמואלי החרא הזה ואוסף החברים הדפוקים שלו (במקור). עלובי נפש המעורבים בסחי של החיים. ג'וני אמנם דרעק אבל מקושר. הרבה בעיר הקטנה באזור חיוג 08 חייבים לו משהו. פה הלוואה, שם ג'וב שסידר לילד. עדיף לשמור מרחק.
והיא נענית לכרמלה ונכנסת הביתה, למקלט הזמני, גן עדן לזמן מוגבל, רק לסדר ולאוורר את הדירה המוזנחת. עכשיו יש לה סבתא, בבושקה במקום זו שכבר לא איתם. כזו שתאהב אותה ואולי היא תלמד לאהוב.
ישראליוּת בארצות הברית. צריך להתרגל, זו לא הסחבקיות הצברית. עברית מעורבת באנגלית, אמריקה של 'הֶב אֵ נַייס דיי', דאוּן פּיימֶנט ומוֹרגָג' (במקור) על הבית שאולי איתמר ונעמה יקנו. החיים נוחים למדי עם מכונית ושפע. לא נכנסים לנשמה כמו בארץ. נעמה מנסה להשתלב בין המקומיות. איתמר מתגעגע להווי עליו גדל, לים, לפלאפל, לחספוס ולעתים תוהה מתי אתה מפסיק להיות ב'רילוקיישן' זמני והופך ליורד אחרי שהשנה המתוכננת הפכה להרבה יותר. ילדיו גדלים למציאות כה אמריקאית. עברית? שפה מוזרה. דֶדי, פְּליז דוֹנְט סְפּיק היבּרוּ ניר מַיי פְרֵנְדס.
והזמן הקצר אצל כרמלה מבגר את נינה. היא לומדת מה חשוב. רועי טוב הלב, בנה של חגית מהמינימרקט מעבר לכביש. הנסיעה לפולין שפספסה בגלל הבטחות השווא של ג'וני. הבגרות והעתיד.
ומעל הכל- אהבת אם וכמה שתי זרות יכולות לאהוב. שלפעמים החיים מורידים כאפה ואפשר לקום כמו גדולה.
יום הזיכרון בפתח. אירנה ואיתמר יוצאים כל אחד למסע, שלו מזכיר שיר של ספרינגסטין. הם יסתיימו באותו מקום והכל ישתנה. גם שמואלי יוצא למסע שונה לגמרי.
והצפירה. עמידת דום ובכי. רגע אחרי- פטישי הפלסטיק וילדים צוהלים. מעגל נסגר.
כתוב יפה, רגיש ונוגע.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

On Her Own by Lihi Lapid was originally written in Hebrew and has been translated to English. The story is about a young woman living in Israel who gets herself into a complex and dangerous relationship with an older man despite her loving mother's pleas. As I first started reading the book, I was not sure that I would finish it, but then the story picked up and I could not put the book down. The story contains several complex relationships and ties in several Israeli holidays. I found the story and relationships to be heartwarming at times and the book provides a good balance of tension and upbeat tones. In the end, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVia for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Elazar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, interesting characters, but somewhat disjointed and unfocused. I ended up skipping/skimming several chapters.

[Galina Met · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a Russian immigrant who came to Israel as a newlywed young adult many years ago; I studied, lived and worked there for quite a while, but eventually moved to Canada, leaving my mother behind (but not alone). For better or for worse, I was not surprised by the brutal and sad parts of Nina’s and Irina’s stories. It was hurtful to read them precisely because those experiences are true to life (I personally know two immigrant women whose daughters ended up in Nina’s situation, albeit with entirely different endings; and I know quite a few immigrant women, including my own aunt, who lived Irina’s life every day). This is the power of Mrs. Lapid’s book: all her vignettes of Israeli people, personalities, relationships, experiences, smells and sounds are vividly realistic and true to life. I loved the legion of names and myriad digressions into side stories - I found this a very effective tool to provide honest observations on the realities of Israeli life and people of different backgrounds and generations. As many other reviews mentioned, the book is both a great introduction to Israel’s culture, society and traditions as well as, certainly, a love letter to Israel.

But there are some issues that forced me to lower my opinion by the end of the book. First issue is the ridiculously incorrect usage of Russian words, especially swearing. There are so many native Russian speakers in the Israeli and American publishing industries, that it defies comprehension why the author, a veteran professional journalist and writer, neglected to engage any. Second, and arguably more important, issue is the illogical and rather unbelievable actions and inactions by key characters throughout most of the second part of the book. Only Carmela and Eitan’s behaviours were believable and engaging. If Nina, Irina, Itamar and Shmueli behaved more rationally and realistically, we may not have had such a neat (and, unfortunately, somewhat boring) ending, but the book would be shorter and stronger.

[jordy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a hard book for me to read cause I really wasn’t into it honestly I didn’t think I would finish it. Basically about this girl who runs away with this man cause she don’t like her life and she escapes being with the man and starts pretending to be this old lady granddaughter but the old lady doesn’t know she isn’t her granddaughter it’s a lot.

[Erika Dreifus]

Another perfect title for #WomenInTranslationMonth, this novel is a propulsive read. (I don't often read a novel in a single day, staying up past bedtime because I have to finish a book, but that's what happened with this one.) The conclusion may wrap up too tidily for some, but frankly, I was grateful for it. Very much a Jewish/Israeli read—readers not already familiar with the sequence of holidays between Passover and Yom HaAtzmaut and their respective significance, might be a little disoriented at first, but that shouldn't keep anyone away.

[Leah M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading translated literature is endlessly fascinating to me. There’s always something new to learn about a place through translated books, and this book was no exception. Although the location is familiar to me, this is a side of Israel that I didn’t see…and one that makes me realize that no matter how different the setting, people are still people and we all do stupid things.

In this book, we have Irina, a Russian immigrant who just barely scrapes by doing menial jobs, contrasted with her daughter Nina, a rebellious teenager who sees her beauty as a way out of poverty. When an older man shows up at her school in a flashy car and offers her the things her mother can’t, she’s easily taken in. There are plenty of red flags, and her mother tries to point them out to her, but teenagers, especially Nina, aren’t inclined to listen.

Instead, after a particularly bad fight with her mother, Nina packs a suitcase and takes off. She calls her boyfriend to pick her up, and from here, the red flags intensify. But Nina doesn’t have the life experience to pick up on these warning signs, and walks directly into a relationship with a man who is controlling and abusive. Ten days later, we see Nina hiding in a stairwell after seeing a murder. In a strange twist of fate, an elderly resident of the building mistakes her for her granddaughter, who lives in America.

It’s always difficult for me to read a book with a teenage protagonist, especially when they’re doing things as dumb as Nina is, and are convinced that they know everything. In many cases, they learn something over the course of this book, and in Nina’s case, she did learn from her experiences. Despite the story taking place in about three weeks total, the growth that Nina experiences is immense. Well, often we need to learn a hard lesson to really internalize it, and this was that for Nina.

The relationship that she has with her mother is so contentious that they’re barely able to interact. As a single mother with no education, Irina is limited in her ability to earn money, but Nina doesn’t see the danger of Shmuely, the man she’s involved with, until it’s almost too late. The dynamics between Nina and Shmuely are no surprise—he wants to control literally everything about her life, including her clothing and who she can talk to. But what I really found to be most fascinating was the relationship between Nina and Carmela, a widow with her surviving son living in America with his wife and children.

Carmela is suffering from dementia, and when she sees Nina crying, she confuses her for Dana, her own granddaughter. This situation actually works to help both of them when they need it most—Carmela really needs help in the home, and Nina needs a safe place to lie low while she figures things out. Naturally, she feels guilty about lying to Carmela, but she also can’t go home. But as she settles in, she realizes that Carmela really is pretty alone, and needs the assistance too. So while she settles in to examine her options, she’s able to justify the living situation since Carmela can’t live alone anymore.

We see how the connection between Nina and Carmela starts out as something tentative, and then becomes something completely different. While Nina is unable to see Irina’s struggles and actually think about how her mother feels, she is able to empathize and receive that soft, grandmotherly attention that she’s been deprived of. This allows her to open up and be a little more vulnerable, but also to show us the varied sides of Nina at home, with Shmuely, and with Carmela, and how different these versions of herself are from each other.

The story expands, too. While it takes place mostly in Tel Aviv, there are also flashbacks from Carmela to explain her life with her husband and children and why she is all alone, and there are flashbacks for Nina in revisiting what happened after she left her mother to go off with Shmuely. We see perspective chapters from her son who is living in America with his children and has been visiting less and less the longer he stays in the US, as well as from Irina and Shmuely. It is intriguing to see how the same people can view the same situation so differently, but I was also engrossed in seeing whether Nina and Irina would ever reconcile, what would happen to Carmela, if Shmuely would leave Nina alone, what happened with Carmela’s son Itamar and if he’d return to Israel, and what really happened the night of the murder.

Overall, this was a fantastic book, and I was so impressed. I read this as an audiobook narrated by Emily Lawrence, and she did a wonderful job with the Hebrew words in the book. The book was a fantastic exploration of the way all these characters navigate their world. Both Irina and Itamar are immigrants, and the book also gets into a little bit of the feeling of being caught between two worlds—Irina stayed in Ukraine with her own mother until she passed and then emigrated to Israel, while Itamar left the country of his birth because of a business opportunity, but it leaves the feeling of loneliness and longing for the life and people you leave behind, as well as the sense of disconnection Itamar experiences as an Israeli in America. I was so impressed with the relationships in this book and how beautifully Lapid has portrayed these two different but overlapping identities of Israeli and immigrant. And the way that she wraps everything up turns out to be absolutely perfect.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 Set in Israel, Nina is 18 and rebellious. When she must run from the criminal older man she has become involved with, she finds unexpected refuge with an elderly woman, Carmela, who thinks Nina is her granddaughter. There are several intertwined famiy stories, all interesting but somewhat too detailed at times, although it was a good look at Israeli cultures. But the characters are all well-drawn and the story ended in a satisfying way for me.

[Ciara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book was incredible. Honestly, I really struggled with the first 80 pages or so. It was so dark and explicit. However, after that, the story really opens up. I love how every time we meet a character, even someone minor, we hear a bit about their backstory and motivations. Beautifully written. I also love a good mother-daughter bonding story. I was weepy in several places.

[Maj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three for three.

This is the third book by a member of the Lapid family I've read, and they have all been so well written and left a deep impression.

But I'd say Lihi's is the best of the three. Or rather, the one most interesting when it comes to its style, the writing craft it took to weave it together.

This wouldn't be a story I'd be interested in reading, but the way it was written made me practically inhale it. (I listened to the audio version while painting a room over a few days, but even so, it had strong competition in interesting podcasts, and it won. I couldn't stop.)

Lapid shows deep knowledge of (and necessary empathy with) a very broad range of people, which is impressive. Even minor characters feel real and have a degree of depth.

I'm wondering if this book, written in 2021, is a message in a bottle of sorts. Is the Israel portrayed here still alive? As immersed as I was in the storytelling mosaic, this thought kept bubbling up while I listened, in August 2024.

Anyway, really impressed. Heart and skill, what a rare gem of a book. Didn't realise I was missing this sort of writing until I came over it. This is one of the best books I've read this century. No hyperbole.

(P.S. almost expired when I realised one of the main characters, a mother of another, was the age I'm turning in two months. She was pregnant way too young, and her daughter was 18, but boy. All the times she or her daughter thought of her as old and past it... tempus fugit, motherfucker.)

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8 ⭐️

[Sasha Greer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strong start, weak ending

[kglibrarian (Karin Greenberg) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever I read a translated book, I feel a strong connection to the rhythm of a country. This one was no exception. Lihi Lapid has written a brilliant novel that transported me to the inner workings of Israeli society through a fictional story filled with adventure, grief, joy, and hope.

Nina, a beautiful teenage girl finishing her last year of high school, lives alone with her Russian immigrant mother, Irina. Feeling isolated from her friends, Nina gets mixed up with an abusive man and witnesses a murder. She flees to a secluded stairwell in a Tel Aviv apartment building where she meets Carmela, a widow whose lonely life is complicated by her deteriorating mind. Carmela mistakes Nina for her granddaughter, Dana, who moved to America years ago. Grieving for both her late husband and fallen soldier son, Carmela clings to Nina, who begins to recover from her own trauma.

As Nina cares for Carmela, cleaning her apartment and looking out for her well-being, she continues to conceal her identity. Meanwhile, her own mother is searching for Nina, desperate to know that her only daughter is OK. As Memorial Day approaches, Carmela's son, Itamar, becomes besieged with guilt for moving away to America. As the families' lives are threaded together, all involved must make difficult choices.

Lapid's writing is eloquent, from the witty dialogue to the reflective passages about life and love. All the complex relationships are depicted with tenderness, especially the ones between Nina and those close to her. The author explores patriotic love, romantic attachments, sorrow, memory loss, immigration, belonging, and so much more. There are also strong female characters whose wisdom and strength I admired. I loved every page of this novel and look forward to reading more of Lapid's work.

[Zibby Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is a tense and immersive psychological exploration of two families in crisis. At its center is Nina, a teenage girl on the run, desperate to disappear. When she unexpectedly encounters Carmela, an elderly widow experiencing memory loss, the story truly begins. Carmela mistakes Nina for her long-lost granddaughter, and in a moment of desperation, Nina steps into a role she never wanted. What starts as a deception gradually evolves into a lifeline. The intimacy between the two women—one young and broken, the other fading—forms one of the most touching aspects of the narrative, as they build something real out of mutual need.

In the background, the author weaves a deeply moving web of parallel anxieties. Irina, Nina’s immigrant mother, is consumed by grief and desperation. Her love is messy and flawed, sometimes harsh, yet always fiercely maternal. Meanwhile, Itamar, Carmela’s distant son living in America, quietly grapples with guilt and disconnection, sensing that something is wrong but feeling powerless to bridge the growing silence between himself and his homeland.

This beautifully layered story delves into the delicate threads that connect people who are lost in different ways—lost to memory, trauma, and lost amidst the weight of choices made or abandoned. It is a novel of quiet miracles: a runaway finding refuge, a grieving mother discovering resolve, and an aging woman reclaiming meaning, even in fragments. Beautifully written and emotionally resonant, it tells a story about holding on—to memory, love, and hope that even the most broken among us can find their way home.

To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://www.amazon.com/Her-Own-Novel-...

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and felt for many of the characters:
Synopsis:
Nina, a teenage runaway, wakes up in the unfamiliar stairwell of a Tel Aviv apartment in a torn minidress. As her memory starts to resurface—the abusive older man she’s running away from, the crime she witnessed—she knows one she needs to find a place to hide.

When one of the building’s tenants, Carmela, a lonely old widow suffering from memory loss, mistakes Nina for her granddaughter she hasn’t seen in years, Nina jumps at the opportunity for a safe haven. Soon, the two strangers become each other’s lifeline as Nina settles into the apartment with sweet, reassuring Carmela.

Meanwhile, Irina, a Russian immigrant, is living a parent’s worst her only daughter has gone missing. She knows Nina got involved with the wrong men and will do anything to find her. Across the ocean, Itamar feels that something is happening to his mom, Carmela. The guilt over having left Israel for his pursuit of the American dream stirs childhood memories in him and a longing for the family that once was complete.

Set between the eve of Passover and Israel’s Independence Day, On Her Own is a tense and immersive psychological read about two families looking for redemption and the transformative bonds between strangers.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A best seller in Israel when it was released in Hebrew in 2022, On Her Own (translated by Sondra Silverman) is Lihi Lapid's first book to be released by a major American publishing house. As Hadassah Magazine describes it: "The 55-year-old Lapid, the wife of former Israeli prime minister and current opposition leader Yair Lapid . . . [creates] a gritty psychological drama that explores the universal intricacies of family relationships while telling a distinctly Israeli story." The story centers around Nina, a teenage runaway who witnesses a murder, and ends up hiding out in the Tel Aviv apartment of Carmella, an elderly woman with dimentia who mistakes Nina for her granddaughter. A propulsive page-turner, the narrative continuously shifts perspectives and also tells the story of Nina's single mother, a Russian immigrant, and Carmella's son who has moved to America, as well as other compelling secondary characters. The story takes place between Passover and Yom HaZikaron so it was especially poignant to be reading it right now. A definite possibility for my book groups next year.

[Susan Ballard (subakkabookstuff) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a powerful story about a young Israeli girl running from the grip of a very dangerous man.

Nina is beaten and sexually abused by Johnny, but she doesn’t realize just how evil he is until she witnesses him murdering a man. She manages to escape and finds refuge when Carmela, an elderly woman, takes her in.

Carmela is suffering from memory loss and believes that Nina is her granddaughter, who came from America. Nina plays along because she needs to stay invisible; soon, the two become dependent on one another. But Nina’s mother is desperately searching for Nina, and so is Johnny.

Although this was part suspenseful mystery and part heartwrenching family drama, it was also a love letter to Israel. As we see two families in conflict, we hear about the national and religious holidays and celebrations - the remembrances and significances.

The story brilliantly captures the cultural atmosphere while allowing the reader to focus on the characters and their experiences. It's a very emotional read as the darkness slowly turns into a ray of hope.

Thank you @harperviabooks for a gifted book.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Women lives as they are alone and forge a new life. Nina is the main character who escapes a man who is beating her. She ends up in an apartment that is open by an elderly women who mistakes her for her granddaughter from America and calls her Dana. Nina don’t like lying to her but goes along with it and calls her grandma. She helps her and cleans her place which is dirty since the person who cleaned for her has left. The person in the minimart knows she is not Dana. The son is a love interest for her and has a crush on her. They become friends. Nina is afraid to be found out when the son finally does come from America to be with his Mom on Israel’s Memorial Day to be at the graves of his brother who died in combat and his father. In the grandmother’s lucid moments she does realize Nina is not Dana. Nina witnessed a murder when she was with the older man she ran away from her mother. He is looking for her and her life and her mother’s is in danger. How she is reunited with her mother who comes to her and helps her is a pulsating story.

[Tali · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is wrongly categorized, so it threw me off that I didn’t get the thriller I expected. In addition, I don’t know if the translation is very strong and the narration is definitely off with many words and names mispronounced. The story is about family and identity of several Israeli people who struggle with connection to their children after immigration and loss. It also covers the experience of moving to the diaspora and realizing it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. There are themes of obligation, love, connection, loss, and fear. I could relate to some of the experiences as I know the disconnect that comes from Slavic parents trying to raise their children in a very different world and far from anything they’ve ever known. The book also covers some generational trauma and how it affects a nation. Those themes were interesting but some parts went on way too long while the ending was abrupt and unsatisfying. I don’t know if this book hits better in its original Hebrew but it mostly misses in English.

[Bonnie Goldberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a superb novel - reflective and propulsive. The main drama involves a young woman, Nina, caught up with an older man involved in criminal activity in a small Israeli town. Fleeing the abusive relationship after a night of terror, she finds shelter in the apartment of elderly Carmela. Carmela, in a fog of dementia, understands Nina to be her granddaughter who moved to America and for whom she pines. From this set up, the action grows to include a cast of well drawn characters - Carmela's family, Nina's mother, the police looking for Nina and her abuser, Carmela's neighbours, the taxi driver who takes Carmela to the cemetery every Memorial Day, among others. While we learn the stories of these characters, and come to understand the realities of life for modern Israelis, we are drawn into a cat and mouse game - will Carmela realize who Nina really is? Will the police find the abuser or will the abuser find Nina first? Will the abuser harm Nina's family and friends in his search for her? I both slowed this one down to savour and tried to race the end. Highly recommend.

[Daniel Keren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weaving

Weaving a spellbinding tale that stimulates that part of you that just has to know how the story unfolds, Lihi skillfully draws you into the intricacies of the Israeli reality. From the sounds and smells of Tel Aviv, the reality of immigrants living among the generationally established, the void that touches almost every Israeli of the loss of those who are taken by the hatred surrounding us, the longing and resentments cause by trans-national family relationships, to the debilitating consequences of mistakes made in youth.

This book deals with the uniqueness of the Israeli experience while maintaining a deep connection to universality of the human experience that is identifiable to all.

I highly recommend this book, not only to all who love to read, but to all who can.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Israel, Lapid tells the story of two families in crisis, over the course of a few weeks from Passover to Memorial Day. Irina is a single mother, whose teenage daughter, Nina, is involved with a married gangster. Carmela, is a grandmother living alone in Tel Aviv. Her son and his family live in California. She is showing signs of dementia. After witnessing a murder, Nina runs away and hides in the stairwell of Carmela’s apartment building. Carmela thinks Nina is her granddaughter, Dana, and brings her into her home. Now what! Will the gangster find Nina before Irina does? Will Carmela’s son, Itamar, realize something is wrong with his mother, and finally come home? What constitutes a family?

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nina, Irina, Carmela, Shemuli, Eitan are the main characters in this novel about family, loneliness and choices. Nina, an imprssionable18 year old Israeli teen from a development town in the Negev, runs away with Shemuli, her much older, married boyfriend who is also the local gangster. She escapes from him without her phone, money or ID and ends up in a stairwell in Carmela's building. Carmela, who suffers from dementia, thinks she is her granddaughter who has come to visit from America where her surviving son lives. Eitan, the young man and neighbour befriends Nina. As they all interact we learn back stories and the pain of loneliness each experiences. Well written and well translated.

[Sylvia Abrams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spell binding plot that swings from family saga to murder mystery. Lapid combines her intense knowledge of the layers of Israeli society in her characters- the Russian immigrant cleaner, her sabra beautiful teenage daughter, the small town gangster, the confused widowed grandmother living in Tel Aviv, her successful son living in America and a host of interesting minor characters. The plot swings among the various points of view as it deals with capturing a murderer while keeping the other characters safe. At the same time, Lapid adds the complicating layer of dealing with the declines of old age. Finally added into the mix is the guilt of the surviving son living abroad. The writing style makes for quick reading with an excellent translation.

[Rita Bookreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this surprisingly innovative and absorbing read from a gifted writer. While the plot surrounds the main character Nina, an 18 yr old who fell into some deep shit and her demented savior Carmela who thinks Nina is her granddaughter, the writer takes you into everyone’s lives that surround these two. Existential conflicts, good and evil, what defines an Israeli, and appropriate ways to grieve in a backdrop of contemporary Israel, complete with a lowlife organized crime boss involved. This author is the wife of former Israeli president and a gifted writer. Ps. Book could have used a bit tighter editing but still a page turner.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s been a backlash against Israeli authors recently, everything from leaving negative reviews on websites because the authors are considered Zionists to the cancellation of readings and book signings. Refusing to read these authors, though, would mean missing two excellent and interesting works: Maya Arad’s “The Hebrew Teacher: Three Novellas” (New Vessel Press) and “On Her Own” by Lihi Lapid (HarperVia). The stories in the former take place in the United States, while the latter offers a view of Israeli culture.
See the rest of my review at https://www.thereportergroup.org/book...

[Audrey Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because it was my Temple book club chose it. In the first pages of the book, an 18 year old girl is treated like a sexual toy by a group of older men. I was repulsed and I didn’t think I could possibly keep reading. But after reading other Good Read reviews, I realized that alarm is a normal reaction to the first pages, and I kept reading. Thank you other Good Readers. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I highly recommend it. While the writing is not elegant, the book is thoroughly engaging. The author does an excellent job of allowing you to understand the motives of the many characters, and the challenges of first generation immigrants.