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| Mira Magen |
Do Not Strike the Wall |
| Novel |
Tel Aviv, Hakibbutz Hameuchad/Siman Kriah, 1997. 223 pp.
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Do Not Strike the Wall is a story about love and its essence. The novel investigates the enslaving power of love, and the ability to ultimately gain freedom and discover substitutes. Yiska, the heroine, grew up in a religious agricultural town in the Lower Galilee. While still a child she falls in love with her neighbor Elisha; it is an adolescent crush which ripens and grows as she matures. But Yiska cannot compete with the memory of Alma, Elisha's late wife who died in childbirth. In vain, Yiska strives to decipher the secret of the dead Alma's hold on the man of her dreams, a bewitching hold which prevents him from falling in love with another. Yiska decides to trace the mysterious character of Alma, and in the process uncovers a dark secret from her past. Yiska now possesses proof of Alma's betrayal of Elisha. This proof is her trump card, which she will reveal if she decides to punish Elisha. She moves to Jerusalem, where she is able to realize her femininity and creativity. There, she gradually succeeds in becoming an independent woman capable of taking her future in her own hands. In her ties with Alma's gynaecologist, Scheinfeld, there is no room for love; lust and passion prevail. A different sort of bond is formed between Yiska and the jeweller Eliyahu who falls in love with her. Now, when Elisha professes his love for her, she does not reciprocate.
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About the Book
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Ha'aretz wrote: "The book is well-written and full of delicate and wise metaphors...." Yediot Aharonot noted that that Mira Magen "has a rare talent for observing the trivial and excels in pushing the limits of lyricism...this is intelligent writing...."
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