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The Woman in the Reflection
She's everything he's ever wanted, but beyond the glass window, reality is different.
Baruch is an ordinary guy, who feels that the Spirit of God hovers over him, granting him special and involuntary superpowers.
In practice, he spends the gray routine of his life being secretly in love with his neighbor, Zehava.
Despite never having found the courage to approach or talk to her, every morning and evening he follows her actions devoutly by watching her apartment’s reflection in the glass of the building in the opposite yard.
Zehava, however, has other plans regarding her love life.
When Baruch realizes he is not alone in the race for Zehava's heart, one event changes everything. Will Baruch’s life have a happy ending or will his divine powers spin out of control once again?
Baruch is an ordinary guy, who feels that the Spirit of God hovers over him, granting him special and involuntary superpowers.
In practice, he spends the gray routine of his life being secretly in love with his neighbor, Zehava.
Despite never having found the courage to approach or talk to her, every morning and evening he follows her actions devoutly by watching her apartment’s reflection in the glass of the building in the opposite yard.
Zehava, however, has other plans regarding her love life.
When Baruch realizes he is not alone in the race for Zehava's heart, one event changes everything. Will Baruch’s life have a happy ending or will his divine powers spin out of control once again?
164 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 22, 2020
20 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 6, 2020
A very interesting and enjoyable read...
Salted with mystery and peppered with intrigue, The Woman in the Reflection by Avi Friede is a superbly written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn characters and settings. The threads of storytelling are expertly woven in this rather peculiar romance that had me turning the pages from beginning to end.
I enjoyed the story, character development, and dialogue. There were plenty of plot twists that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique. When I stopped reading to work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the story in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much.
In many ways The Woman in the Reflection, a first novel written by Avi Friede, is a classic, albeit unusual romance. The author pays as much attention to his sentences as he does to his plots, shifting or consolidating meaning with the use of a single word. His writing is impeccably honed, full of juxtapositions and qualifications that help to create an almost prurient atmosphere.
Different from the writing style that I’d normally be used to, nevertheless, made this a very interesting and enjoyable read. I’ll be looking forward to reading more from this author in the future. Highly recommended and a well-deserved five stars from me. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Salted with mystery and peppered with intrigue, The Woman in the Reflection by Avi Friede is a superbly written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn characters and settings. The threads of storytelling are expertly woven in this rather peculiar romance that had me turning the pages from beginning to end.
I enjoyed the story, character development, and dialogue. There were plenty of plot twists that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique. When I stopped reading to work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the story in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much.
In many ways The Woman in the Reflection, a first novel written by Avi Friede, is a classic, albeit unusual romance. The author pays as much attention to his sentences as he does to his plots, shifting or consolidating meaning with the use of a single word. His writing is impeccably honed, full of juxtapositions and qualifications that help to create an almost prurient atmosphere.
Different from the writing style that I’d normally be used to, nevertheless, made this a very interesting and enjoyable read. I’ll be looking forward to reading more from this author in the future. Highly recommended and a well-deserved five stars from me. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
September 5, 2020
‘Beyond the glass window reality is different…’
Israeli author Avi Friede makes an auspicious writing debut with THE WOMAN IN THE REFLECTION – a warmly tender yet strange romance that introduces fine characterizations and insights into psychological and spiritual concepts to keep the reader fascinated. Avi is an architect, poet and writer, and his written work mirrors his occupation in his field of architecture! The book is translated from the Hebrew by Yael Schonfeld Abel.
The primary character, Baruch, steps onto the stage with a curious description – ‘Just five foot three, a nondescript face. Downcast eyes. Smiling to himself as if he’d heard a private joke, which might be sufficient to evoke a smile, but wasn’t really funny. Small hands, small shoes, small glasses. Small pockets and change. Just an average guy. That’s what everyone thought. They were wrong. He had secrets. All kinds of secrets, many of them trivial, not particularly interesting. But he had one special secret. The kind everyone wants. The kind that everyone would like to be real. A secret no one had ever discovered. He thought he was God…’
Bringing the female lead character into play, Zehava is described: ‘Zehava loved the color pink, old movies, and TV shows, particularly Master Chef. She did not like men who made promises with no intention of keeping them, or her height. She wore platform shoes everywhere and whomever she was with. Big, clumsy shoes that always looked too large on her skinny legs…’ Two disparate characters lead us into this fine story.
With that magnet Avi draws us into this strange story, condensed well in the synopsis: ‘Baruch is an ordinary guy, who feels that the Spirit of God hovers over him, granting him special and involuntary superpowers. In practice, he spends the gray routine of his life being secretly in love with his neighbor, Zehava. Despite never having found the courage to approach or talk to her, every morning and evening he follows her actions devoutly by watching her apartment’s reflection in the glass of the building in the opposite yard. She's everything he's ever wanted, but beyond the glass window, reality is different. Zehava, however, has other plans regarding her love life. When Baruch realizes he is not alone in the race for Zehava's heart, one event changes everything. Will Baruch’s life have a happy ending or will his divine powers spin out of control once again?’
Well written and a fine evening’s read – just the right length to occupy our minds and fascination before bedtime. Warm, intuitive, and well written, THE WOMAN IN THE REFLECTION is a satisfying debut from a welcome new author.
Israeli author Avi Friede makes an auspicious writing debut with THE WOMAN IN THE REFLECTION – a warmly tender yet strange romance that introduces fine characterizations and insights into psychological and spiritual concepts to keep the reader fascinated. Avi is an architect, poet and writer, and his written work mirrors his occupation in his field of architecture! The book is translated from the Hebrew by Yael Schonfeld Abel.
The primary character, Baruch, steps onto the stage with a curious description – ‘Just five foot three, a nondescript face. Downcast eyes. Smiling to himself as if he’d heard a private joke, which might be sufficient to evoke a smile, but wasn’t really funny. Small hands, small shoes, small glasses. Small pockets and change. Just an average guy. That’s what everyone thought. They were wrong. He had secrets. All kinds of secrets, many of them trivial, not particularly interesting. But he had one special secret. The kind everyone wants. The kind that everyone would like to be real. A secret no one had ever discovered. He thought he was God…’
Bringing the female lead character into play, Zehava is described: ‘Zehava loved the color pink, old movies, and TV shows, particularly Master Chef. She did not like men who made promises with no intention of keeping them, or her height. She wore platform shoes everywhere and whomever she was with. Big, clumsy shoes that always looked too large on her skinny legs…’ Two disparate characters lead us into this fine story.
With that magnet Avi draws us into this strange story, condensed well in the synopsis: ‘Baruch is an ordinary guy, who feels that the Spirit of God hovers over him, granting him special and involuntary superpowers. In practice, he spends the gray routine of his life being secretly in love with his neighbor, Zehava. Despite never having found the courage to approach or talk to her, every morning and evening he follows her actions devoutly by watching her apartment’s reflection in the glass of the building in the opposite yard. She's everything he's ever wanted, but beyond the glass window, reality is different. Zehava, however, has other plans regarding her love life. When Baruch realizes he is not alone in the race for Zehava's heart, one event changes everything. Will Baruch’s life have a happy ending or will his divine powers spin out of control once again?’
Well written and a fine evening’s read – just the right length to occupy our minds and fascination before bedtime. Warm, intuitive, and well written, THE WOMAN IN THE REFLECTION is a satisfying debut from a welcome new author.
November 29, 2020
The mystery of God
I liked this story despite the main character being 5 ft. 3 inches tall. Not attractive. Socially awkward, but smart, even without college. The theme of the hidden power to cause death when baruch got angry isn't fully developed and I questioned at the end whose anger had actually caused her death. Interesting story.
I liked this story despite the main character being 5 ft. 3 inches tall. Not attractive. Socially awkward, but smart, even without college. The theme of the hidden power to cause death when baruch got angry isn't fully developed and I questioned at the end whose anger had actually caused her death. Interesting story.
February 5, 2021
Very good first lines and then... it went to nothing :/
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews