Valleyplast
In the heart of the Jezreel Valley, in northern Israel, where pioneers once dreamed of building a model society, stands a dusty plant for plastic compounds. As raw materials are mixed and melted by the hot, steaming machines, the lives of the workers are stirred and agitated, as well. There is Dafna, an ambitious young manager who has quit an academic career in order to give her life, and the plant, a boost; Nurit, an introspective engineer, who tries to defy family’s expectations and is having a secret affair; Yaeli, a receptionist who finds, to her surprise, that she can fulfill herself through her work; and Shadi, a machine operator from an Arab village, torn between the traditional world of his birth and the temptations of modern life, who becomes the victim of Israeli reality. All try to reach beyond their destined identities, and all pay a price.
Passions and power struggles unfold and reveal, as the plant is the “other” face of Israel; outlying towns with immigrants from Russia and Ethiopia, Arabs, women at masculine jobs – through them, the novel examines Israeli society with its tensions, its values and flaws. And all the while, in the background, terror attacks take place, a war in Lebanon burst out, and the political situation with its perils becomes entangled with the conflicts at the plant.
Valleyplast uncovers an intriguing new literary voice. With great narrative skill and emotional precision, Dorit Kellner opens a window onto a world that has never before been explored in Israeli literature.
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“ Valleyplast is a mature and surprising first book … An engrossing novel. The plastics manufacturing processes are interesting and make for an enjoyable read. First of all, because the book is wonderfully written. If there was something I found familiar, it was a similarity to the style of Yehoshua Kenaz: The rare tone of precision, the condensation, the broad canvas of a reality interwoven with social, psychological and metaphysical problems, all done with a naturalness devoid of pretension. ”
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“ A good novel … The novel moves ahead at a measured pace in sync with all of its aspects, and with an impressive attention to detail … All of the ideological themes are presented delicately and do not drown out the novel’s fundamental and most important obligation: to present human beings in the most complete manner that can be achieved in a given environment, which is also presented in the most complete manner possible, so that Valleyplast gives its readers a feeling of an encounter with literary professionalism”
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“ Dorit Kellner … writes in a clear and effective way, in language that doesn’t show off or impede the flow … A courageous act on Dorit Kelnner’s part … Kellner masters the language well and almost never descends into the use of clichés … It is to be hoped Kellner will write another book.”