The Human Scale

by Lawrence Wright

Lawrence Wright at the height of his powers. Centering around the newfound—and forced—relationship between an American/Palestinian FBI agent and a hardline Israeli cop, working together uneasily to solve the murder of the Israeli police chief in Gaza. Moving, thrilling, with extraordinary scope, it does for Palestine and Israel what Gorky Park did years ago for Russia. In the vein of LeCarré and Graham Greene, this is the rare novel that manages to entertain, educate, and deeply move the reader.

Tony Malik is a half-Irish, half-Arab New York based FBI agent, specializing in money flowing from drug and arms deals. The novel opens in shocking fashion, with Malik seriously injured by a terrorist-planted bomb. During his lengthy recuperative process, his life changes radically. A long-term relationship ends, and his job is on the verge of being taken away from him. During this period he learns more about his roots and becomes interested in his father's past and family - his father came to America years ago from Palestine. He decides to make a trip to his father's homeland to attend the wedding of his niece, whom he has never met. As a result of his plans, he is given a simple assignment by his boss at the FBI, partly to see how well he can still do his job. That simple assignment becomes extremely complicated.

As soon as he arrives in Gaza, the Israeli police chief overseeing the area is murdered. Malik is at first a suspect. Then, due to his superior investigative skills, he is invited into the Israeli investigation, seeking the murderer. At the center of this novel is Malik's relationship with Yossi, the hardline anti-Arab Israeli police officer leading the investigation. They must learn to trust each other because, as they move closer to solving the case, they realize there is no one else they can trust on either side.

Extraordinary three dimensional characters populate this Yossi's daughter, studying in Paris, trying to escape the violence that surrounds her in Israel; Malik's niece, whose wedding and life are shattered by the murder; her fiancé, a peacenik whose existence is complicated by the fact that his cousin is high up in the Hamas command; religious leaders on both sides; corrupt Israeli cops; Palestinians thirsting for violence against Israel; Israelis determined to crush the Palestinians. Lawrence Wright brings a wide and complicated tapestry to life, one that culminates on October 7 with the deadly Hamas attack on Israel. But he has written more than just a thriller, or even just an examination of all these complicated lives. He has written a novel that manages to explore and explain much of the devastating history that encompasses the relationship between Israel and Palestine—and shows it to us in a way that poignantly reveals the tragic human scale that is involved.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Historical Fiction, Middle East, Politics, Mystery, Israel

448 pages, ebook

First published March 11, 2025

About the author

Lawrence Wright is an author, screenwriter, playwright, and staff writer for The New Yorker magazine. He has won a Pulitzer Prize and three National Magazine Awards.

His latest book, The Human Scale , is a sweeping, timely thriller, in which a Palestinian-American FBI agent teams up with a hardline Israeli cop to solve the murder of the Israeli police chief in Gaza. According to The New York Times, “Wright succeeds in this complex, deeply felt work.”

He is the author of 11 nonfiction books. His book about the rise of al-Qaeda, The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 (Knopf, 2006), was published to immediate and widespread acclaim. It has been translated into 25 languages and won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. It was made into a series for Hulu in 2018, starring Jeff Daniels, Alec Baldwin, and Tahar Rahim.

Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief (Knopf, 2013) was a New York Times bestseller. Wright and director Alex Gibney turned it into an HBO documentary, which won three Emmys, including best documentary. Wright and Gibney also teamed up to produce another Emmy-winning documentary, for Showtime, about the murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi.

In addition to The Human Scale, Wright has three other novels: Noriega: God’s Favorite (Simon and Schuster, 2000) which was made into a Showtime movie starring Bob Hoskins; The End of October (Knopf, 2020), a bestseller about a viral pandemic that came out right at the beginning of COVID; Mr. Texas (Knopf, 2023), which has been optioned as a limited streaming series.

In 2006, Wright premiered his first one-man play, “My Trip to Al-Qaeda,” at The New Yorker Festival, which led to a sold-out six-week run off-Broadway, before traveling to Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. It was made into a documentary film of the same name, directed by Alex Gibney, for HBO.

Before he wrote the novel, Wright wrote and performed a one-man show also called The Human Scale, about the standoff between Israel and Hamas over the abduction of an Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit. The Public Theater in New York produced the play, which ran for a month off-Broadway in 2010, before moving to the Cameri Theater in Tel Aviv. Many of the ideas developed in that play later evolved into the novel of the same name, published 15 years later.

In addition to his one-man productions, Wright has written five other plays that have enjoyed productions around the country, including Camp David, about the Carter, Begin, and Sadat summit in 1978; and Cleo, about the making of the movie Cleopatra.

Wright is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Society of American Historians, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He also serves as the keyboard player in the Austin-based blues band, WhoDo.

Reviews

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The Looming Tower," written by Lawrence Wright was one of, if not the favorite book I read in 2006. So when I read the blurb/description about "Human Scale," I was intrigued. I was also worried, as I wasn't sure if I was ready to read a book that culminates in the horrific war of terroristic events started by Ham*s on October 7.

But again, I was intrigued. Much like Nelson DeMille's "Night Fall" that led up to September 11, I trusted the author.

Instead, I found trope after antisemetic trope about Israel "occupying" Palestine. About Israeli settlers destroying "Palestinian land." And yes, I understand and appreciate that there are radicals everywhere, and that if you are too far left or too far right, you end up in the same place.

But how a "detective story?" about an Israeli Police Captain being murdered, being turned into a book about truly crazy, radical, murder-happy Israeli... I don't understand.

The description of the book reads "... (The Human Scale) revolves around the newfound - and forced - relationship between a Palestinian American FBI agent and a hard-line Israeli cop... this is the rare novel that manages to entertain, educate and deeply move the reader."

I reviewed the letter written by the publisher at Knopf, which in part reads: "The book is going to be controversial because it presents a three-dimensional side to so many points of view. It humanizes conflict in ways very few novels have managed to do."

If Lawrence Wright was truly trying to show "all-sides" of the conflict, I do not think he achieved this. I wanted to put the book down numerous times, because I found the tropes appalling. While there were numerous Palestinian characters that were written as warm, caring, family-loving, cultural-loving people, there truly was only one Israeli who was captured that way (Yossi's daughter, Sara.)

I may be harsh. And yes, the book will be controversial. But I cannot and will not recommend it. And that's a shame, because we need books "like" this - showing Palestinian and Israeli views... just not to a scale like this.

Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for letting me read this early. I truly appreciate it. Reading this book stirred up passions and shook me - and that's a wonderful thing for a book to do. Wright 100% knows how to capture a story and this will not stop me from reading other books by him. But I think this book will do more harm than opening eyes to the horrors of the conflict.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tony Malik is an FBI agent visiting Palestine to attend a wedding and to meet relatives from his father’s side of the family. Soon after Malik arrives, an Israeli police chief, who had reached out for FBI assistance, is murdered. Malik and an Israeli cop investigate the murder.

The mystery of the murder is really tangential to the actual point of this book. Malik, as an outsider, serves as a device for introducing the reader to the history of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. He also comes into contact with people from both sides of the conflict, and thus exposes the reader to varying points of view. I found the book interesting, but I might have preferred it as nonfiction.

The author’s frustration with the situation is summed up in the Acknowledgements:

“One cannot hope for an end to the strife without acknowledging the separate histories that each side claims.”

“… whenever a real opportunity for a breakthrough arises it is incinerated by the killers who cling to the fantasy that their enemies can be ethnically cleansed or exterminated.”

“ Until the extremists and ideologues are pushed out of power, the conversation about moving on from the conflict will always be stillborn.”

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

[Bruce Katz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very uneven book. Part of it is a serviceable story of a badly wounded Palestinian-American FBI agent becoming embroiled in Israeli-Palestinian politics and culture. It works well enough, particularly in showing how tragically complicated the situation is. The other part involves rather lengthy expository digressions into the (yes, very complicated) history of the conflict. To be sure, these digressions are very informative but the effect, for me, was a book that was neither truly a novel nor an analysis of the subject.

Others may give it a higher rating because they did learn a lot, or because they thought the story gave a human dimension to the conflict, or because neither side was fully Good or fully Bad. I can respect such a response. But for me, it seemed an awkwardly designed bird that couldn't take flight.

[Shereadbookblog · Rating 5 out of 5]

After recovering from injuries received from a bomb and still dealing with memory issues, FBI agent Tony Malik decides to explore his paternal Palestinian roots by attending a family wedding in Gaza. While there, the chief of police is beheaded and Tony becomes a prime suspect. Once cleared, he teams up with an Israeli police inspector to investigate the murder.

Wow! What an excellent book, well written by Pulitzer Prize winning author, Lawrence Wright. More than just a mystery/thriller, Wright delves into the historical roots of both the Arabs and Israelis and their conflict, with the archival and mythical flowing seamlessly back and forth with the contemporary plot. The story follows characters on both sides, exploring their backgrounds and experiences, culminating in the October 6, 2023 attack in Israel.

Engrossing and informative, I learned much of the historical perspective of both the Arabs and the Israelis. Unfortunately, it left me with the feeling that there will never be justice, peace, or the resolution of this conflict. Despite many peace seeking people on both sides, the hatred and the atrocities that have been inflicted do not seem that they can be overcome.

This is a very worthwhile read.

Thanks to #NetGalley and @AAKnopf for the DRC.

[Ula Tardigrade · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have the utmost respect for Lawrence Wright's journalism, and I have loved his non-fiction works, but this novel left me disappointed.

When I started reading it, I was hoping that he had done to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict what Don Winslow has masterfully achieved regarding the US-Mexican so-called war on drugs. On the surface, there are many similarities between "The Human Scale" and the "Power of the Dog" trilogy: a scarred, deeply conflicted main character; a panoramic view of a very complicated geopolitical situation; the interweaving of fact and fast-paced narrative fiction. Unfortunately, the effect is so heavy-handed that I found myself constantly gritting my teeth. While trying to provide a glimpse of the eponymous human scale of the conflict, he made all the protagonists give loaded political speeches, embodying different points of view. It was excruciating for me.

So, if you want to know more about the Middle East and what led to the October 7, 2023 attack and the brutal war that followed, you will certainly learn a lot from this book. But if you are looking for great literature that makes you understand a piece of modern history while keeping you deeply involved in the fate of fictional characters, choose Don Winslow novels.

Thanks to the publisher, Knopf, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

[Don Healy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every once in a while, I encounter a historical fiction book that isn’t just well written, but so engrossing and true to life, it just stops me in my tracks. I’ll be thinking about The Human Scale for a long time To quote Geraldine Brooks, this novel is “lacerating.” Wright tells the stories of the Palestinians and Israelis so clearly, it’s hard to not feel empathy and horror for both. He also uses the first person narrative of a second generation Palestinian-American FBI agent with memory problems from being badly wounded in a suitcase bomb explosion, as the reader’s information source. So, someone who can’t remember goes to a land where no one can forget, or forgive anything.
If you want to better understand the Palestinian - Israeli conflict and its never ending cycle of revenge, wrapped up in a murder mystery, this is your book.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Smart and Timely, But More Lecture Than Thriller!

The Human Scale by Lawrence Wright is an ambitious, politically charged novel that often feels more like a thought piece than a true thriller.

At its core, the story follows a Palestinian-American FBI agent investigating the murder of an Israeli police chief in the West Bank. The setup promises a tense, character-driven mystery—but the execution leans heavily into politics, history, and moral debate, often at the expense of pacing and story.

Wright’s themes—identity, justice, and the human cost of long-running conflict—are handled with seriousness and nuance.

But that’s also where it stumbles.

Too often, characters feel like vehicles for viewpoints rather than fully natural people, with dialogue that drifts into speeches. The plot moves in fits and starts, and readers expecting a tight, suspenseful thriller will likely find it slow and occasionally frustrating. It’s not that the ideas aren’t interesting—they are—but they tend to overpower the story.

#The Human Stand #NetGalley

[Sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have never given a one-star review. The novel offers the exaggeration and glorification of true and ongoing human tragedy. It doesn't matter if the author's politics are similar from mine or not. That's ugly and leaves me with a awful taste.

Wright doesn't get to have it both ways. He doesn't get to provide fact-based reporting about this moment and give the reader a thriller and a love story to make a buck. It's yet another cruelty to the thousands dead in the last 546 days and those still being tortured in captivity.

The book also goes on way too long. The partisan, self-righteous narrator voice takes from the character development and the narrative. That was enough to make me feel that the novel is OK but not great.

But it's the dramatized, exaggerated, and fictional depiction of 10/7 that demands a one-star review.

Wright claims in his acknowledgements that he wrote from a place of both anger and compassion. I hear only anger.

[Heather Sneyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Until the extremists and ideologues are pushed out of power, the conversation about moving on from the conflict will always be stillborn.”
I enjoyed this read, but it also disturbed me..
Even though it’s a work of fiction…. It really opened my eyes to the different perspectives of those that are central to the conflict..

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t speak publicly about the Israel/Palestine conflict because it’s so utterly complicated and heartbreaking on all levels and because I personally don’t feel educated enough to do so. (I do highly respect all who are educated and do speak up.) I will say this novel touches on a lot of the long-term issues among the people in this region. I learned a lot through these characters, and I hope others will read this book for greater understanding. This book is excellent!

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted so badly to read something that would also offer me insight into a different perspective on the situation in the Middle East as an American Jew. I began this book with a very open mind, hoping to gain some deeper understanding about the conflict between Israel, the Palestinians and the war in Gaza. After reading this book, all I feel is a deep sense of disappointment in a Pulitzer Prize winning author who I assumed would feel a sense of responsibility to portray the situation with much more balance than that with which it was ultimately done. I walked away feeling it was incredibly slanted, constantly asking the reader to empathize with the Palestinian cause but with very little explanation or a sense of empathy for the constant fear of terrorism that Jewish Israelis face daily, and how there cannot be peace when a group of people are taught to hate the other, and destroy the other as part of its movement and culture. Even in his description of the events of October 7, the author still describes Hamas‘s invasion of kibbutzim as “breaking out of a cage.” In a moment that caused the most suffering for Jewish people since the holocaust he still manages to justify the actions of a terrorist organization. While the story, the plot, was certainly captivating (for example, it was important to also read about how extremist settlers play an integral role in the ongoing conflict) it was hard not to constantly be weighed down by the one-sided nature of the narrative. Towards the end of the novel, he goes so far as to comment on the way that there is collective punishment towards the Palestinians, but he never does the same for the Jewish people and it’s exactly what Jews globally are facing today as a result. I really expected more from this author and I’m sad that I can’t recommend this book as a balance view. It could have been an excellent piece of historical fiction.

[Lilisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The setting is the West Bank with its complex and complicated history, unending land and religious strife between Israelis and Palestinians, and human reality of survival and corruption. This is the scene into which American FBI agent Tony Malik, nursing his own personal and professional challenges and whose father was Palestinian, decides to visit his ancestral homeland and attend a cousin’s wedding. He’s asked to undertake a simple FBI assignment since he’s going to be there. Then the Israeli police chief is murdered and he is a suspect. There is so much to parse and understand about the complicated history, politics, relationships, and most importantly, the hardship, struggles and hopelessness, as well as drive and motivation of both Palestinians and Israelis living in close proximity, yet worlds apart. The author does a good job with the setting, history, major characters, and storyline. There was a significant amount of history, information, and multiple characters which sometimes felt like the author had created too large a scope. Overall, this was definitely a good read with a great sense of place and time. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Mary Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a murder mystery wrapped in an extensive history of the war on the West Bank. If you’re unsure of what’s going on there and what led to the violence, this book goes into great detail. In the end, the extreme violence and general hopelessness overshadow the story. It’s trite to say this book is depressing. But don’t go into it thinking it’s a traditional mystery. And don’t get attached to ANY of the characters.

[beyondzero · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8

[Wendi Flint Rank (WendiReviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This well written book about the ongoing tension between Israelis & Palestinian
people leading up to the Hamas invasion of 2023 is very good ~ As the last
person you would think would read this truly educational ~ fictional story, I am
embarrassed by my abject lack of knowledge. Even visiting the region leaves me
grateful to have read this book. The brilliant way the Author integrated the FBI
and the local Police, the loving families who find their loved ones murdered and
fear for their beloved children…while it’s too much, we’re each responsible for
becoming and remaining aware of the the issues that plague these countries.
I highly recommend this book to everyone, and it will be on my list to share with
everyone with whom I share books.
My thanks to Knopf Publishing via NetGalley for the download copy
of this book for review purposes.

[Pamela · Rating 1 out of 5]

No editor on duty!

I've read a quarter of the text and am still astonished at how poorly this book is written and edited. Guess I'm done.

Many unfound errors, sentences that make no sense and the continuity of the plot is amaturous.
I suspect Wright wrote a draft screenplay, let someone fill in dialogue and descriptive text and no one at Knopf cared to use a genuine novelist to write the book. Example: "he was tired but too hungry to eat. " Wtf??

I've been merchandising books for 50 years and this is an example of how far the industry has fallen. A non fiction publication would never be this carelessly produced. An embarrassment for this publisher.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This book was heavy, but that is to be expected based on the setting. I was just surprised that the crime described in the synopsis was more of a side story, not a focal point. There was much more focus on historical and religious context which made it somewhat dense at times. There were also a lot of characters and points of view used throughout the book which sometimes made it hard to follow and interrupted the pacing. But in the end, I appreciated these things as it painted a picture of reality there, and how it came to be this way.

The author used fictional characters to show us the various kinds of traumas the people have endured on both sides, and how diverse in thought and opinion and feelings they are, even within the same communities. He accomplished this without showing any form of bias in my opinion. On this topic, that is quite impressive.

Sadly, I felt this before, but even more after reading this - I don't see a path for peace in this region. And that is heartbreaking.

[Rick Goor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the book compelling. A very interesting and at times difficult if not disturbing read . The story was good as were the characters, but the real gist is the history, both current and past, of the never ending Israeli and Palestinian conflict. The book is written like a documentary and seems/feels real, w actual people and historical events intertwined. It provides what I thought was a really honest description, without taking sides. I recommend it for sure.

[Evelyn Petschek · Rating 3 out of 5]

A struggle to finish for me. Well-written as one would expect from the author. But when a reporter writes a fictional thriller set in the midst of a current and on-going crisis, it gets muddled and is difficult to really sort fact from fiction. Okay audio narration.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m still processing this story, but I will say that it helped me understand the origins of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and presented both sides in a work of fiction.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio reviewed for Booklist here.

[Dan Weinstock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the most important book I’ll read all year. Lawrence Wright is a master of his craft and a voice that deserves to not only be heard, but remembered after he’s gone. I’m proud to live in the same city as him.

[Rob1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

No real subtlety and the characters don't seem real as much of the dialogue and inner monologue are speeches meant to deliver a message. Stories from characters in this setting need to be told to better understand the conflict but ultimately this was a missed opportunity.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredibly compelling deep dive into the Israeli Palestinian conflict from the perspectives of very believable and sympathetic protagonists. Some of the wrap up is a bit contrived but still powerful.

[Susan Schulze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting story

A deep dive into the ancient war between the Palestinians and the Jews-with rich history and well honed characters. I highly recommend this book.

[Madison Shelton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crime thriller wrapped in the history of Israel/Palestine and the October 7 Attack. Enjoyed this one, although the Israel/Palestine history is obviously heavy and makes you think.

[Christine Eskilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anticipated a thriller and rewarded with a history lesson with no end in sight.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A 5-star insight into the Israel/Palestinian conflict but 3 stars for the slow-paced mystery. I became a little weary with the story line but appreciate the author’s dive into the politics and culture the of Hebron area.

[Allison Meakem · Rating 5 out of 5]

New Yorker staff writer Lawrence Wright is no stranger to political storytelling. The author of more than a dozen books, Wright won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for The Looming Tower, which is widely regarded as the definitive account of events leading up to the 9/11 attacks. Wright’s latest work, The Human Scale, is a rare foray into fiction.

The Human Scale begins in Jordan in 2022, when Palestinian American FBI agent Anthony Malik barely survives the detonation of a Hamas bomb discovered at Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport. Months later, he returns home to New York City traumatized and adrift. With Malik’s future at the FBI uncertain, he travels to the occupied West Bank in September 2023 to attend his cousin’s wedding in Hebron... [[READ THE REST IN FP: https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/03/07/...]]

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

On one hand, this is a very exciting, well written thriller with excellent character development. Tony Malik is a half Arab FBI agent, an expert in tracking money from arms and weapons deals until a bomb in Jordan, leaves him the sole survivor of his unit, losing not only his team but one of his eyes and memories. Also his girlfriend, who can't handle his confusion and moves on. He decides to go to Israel to attend his niece's wedding, and to finally meet his father's twin brother and his family. His boss gives him a little assignment, under the sly, to see if he is fit to come back to duty. He quickly becomes involves in the turbulence of Israel and it's hostile neighbors and a mystery of who killed the Israeli police chief and why. He begins a Bogartish relationship with Yossi, the police officer assigned to the case and his various relatives. Fast pace action.

Unfortunately, the author is one of those intellectual journalists, who disseminates the revisionist history and lies from radical Islam as if it was at the truth. He projects the evil of this death cult onto Israel, comparing those who willingly put their citizens in danger and want the more deaths the better as the same as Israel that does everything that is humanly possible to save lives. The idea that "settlers" are trying to build a new Temple in Hebron is ridiculous as Jewish law only allows the Temple in Jerusalem. The fact that Israel withdrew from Gaze in 2005, leaving a prosperous hot house industry for their Arab workers to take over, which was instead bulldozed, and that all the building material and supplies sent to Gaza since then, was stolen by Hamas is downplayed. The"open-air prison", with olympic size swimming pools, luxury cars, luxurious mansions, gourmet foods is compared to the Nazi concentration camps. Gaza has been destroyed because the people chose Hamas and Hamas desires the death of the Gaza's to be used against Isreal. And some reviewers have written that this has provided new insight into the conflict. I prefer the honesty of Douglas Murray.

I was gifted with an advanced reader's copy from the publisher via NetGalley.com This is my honest review.