The Flat on King Solomon Street

Miron Izakson`s surrealistic novel ostensibly tells the story of an unusual Tel Aviv family, but can also be read as an allegory about modern Israeli society trying to come to terms with its Jewish identity. Izakson examines the father-son relationship and the brother-sister dynamic in the war of the sexes; he also looks at religious issues, pondering the future of Israeli society.

Living alone in a flat on King Solomon Street, Hannah invites her widowed brother Uzi to move in, hoping that this partnership will provide a more structured living condition. But then Uzi`s son, Amos, moves in as well, and Uzi is diagnosed with a serious illness. Amos is an international specialist in matters of life and death; people ask him to decide for them whether they should continue living or not. For Izakson, Amos’s occupation reflects the spirit of our times, in which people are inclined to interfere in the act of creation.

Yonah Halamish, a doctor and scientist, enlists Amos to work in his research that has identified a new type of human, who is neither male nor female. As he joins Halamish`s project, with its implications for the inner strength of the country, Amos has to deal simultaneously with his father`s deteriorating condition and with his feelings for his beloved Maya. Sensuous and devoted, she too moves into the flat on King Solomon Street, but finds her own way, delving into Jewish studies. Is Amos`s expertise in matters of life and death relevant to his own life and that of his family? In the end, the father decides to make things easier for everyone: he plans his own funeral, and of his own free will, removes himself from their lives.