The Line of David

by Ken Hurwitz

In this novel, Ken Hurwitz describes a love affair that begins in America and ends in Israel. But woven into the story of David and Rachel is another violence, both personal and political. The world of David Kololf, brilliantly and satirically rendered, is the Cambridge underground of dropouts and dealers, a world where nothing is forbidden, where one asks no questions, makes no commitments. Unlike David, who is content to let life slide by, Rachel. an Israeli law student. is energetic, political, and passionately involved in her country’s cause. She awakens in David both physical desire and a new awareness of his heritage and obligations as a Jew. This sense of belonging is not without its price, however. David sees in Rachel a fierce, OH Testament zeal that measures only rig and wrong. and scams compromise. he is torn between his belief in non violence and the total, nationalistic commitment that Rachel’s love demands of him. “Born a Jew, kill an Arab. Born an Arab, kill a Jew,” he despairs. “If that’s the universal scheme, screw it.” The turning points of the plot are two acts of violence. First a bomb explodes in the Israeli embassy in Boston and nearly kills David. The second incident takes place in Israel when David follows Rachel on a mission into guerrilla held territory. There, facing an armed Arab, David discovers what he fears his own capacity for violence.

285 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973