Love Life

Love Life describes the stormy relationship between a young woman and a man twice her age. Ya'arah is captivated by Aryeh, her father's erstwhile friend and peer. Yet Aryeh's attraction does not lie in his personal charm; in this older man, animal magnetism and sinfulness mix with a crumbling decay and cruel selfishness, which Ya'arah is powerless to deny. In their ensuing sexual relationship, moments of sublime pleasure blend with humiliation and self-abasement. Falling in love is described as a form of addiction. However, the relationship is anything but stereotyped. Aryeh may indeed be selfish and cold, but he does not play the role of a run-of-the-mill old lecher; he too is pathetic and no less complex than Ya'arah. As the novel unfolds, it becomes apparent that Ya'arah's mother also had an affair with Aryeh in the past, and their former relationship profoundly affects the present. In the course of the book, Ya'arah undergoes a process of maturation, moving from a state of dependency and guilt towards independence and self-respect.


A mezmerizing book. 
Der Spiegel

A runaway success….  Love Life broke all barriers.
New York Times

A strong, magnificent novel. 
Le Nouvel Observateur