The Story Bench

The Story Bench tells the story of Miraleh, a young girl growing up in Israel in the 1950s. Her mother, a Holocaust survivor, is rather distant and is unable to show any warmth or sensitivity towards her only child. But this changes when Miraleh discovers a secret in her aunt`s house and opens an old suitcase that had been locked away for many years. At this point, the wall of apathy behind which her mother hides slowly crumbles. For the first time, she reveals the painful secrets of her past, and introduces Miraleh to a side her daughter never knew existed.

Alongside this family story, Miraleh describes daily life in the little Israeli village during the first years of the state, and tells us of her love for Tommy, whose family never acclimate to life in Israel and later take him with them to Canada. A beautifully pitched and sensitive story of an adolescent whose world is disrupted by the many secrets and fears lurking beneath the surface.