Israel in Exile: Jewish Writing and the Desert Hardcover – by Ranen Omer-Sherman (University of Illinois Press)

This is a terrifically provocative and well-written xcellent study of desert as both place and metaphor. 'Israel in Exile' is a highly engaging exploration of how the ancient desert and the nomadic human landscape of the Middle East forms a template for modern political identities, radical skepticism, and questioning of official narratives of the nation. The exploration of the works of authors (David Grossman, Amos Oz, and Edmond Jabès, among others) produce richly speculative and rewarding close readings. Omer-Sherman ultimately asserts that the ancient encounter with the desert acquires a new sense of urgency and relevance to the crisis brought about by national identities and territorial conflicts. A very impressive and wide-ranging discussion of the special relationship between place and narrative in the Jewish cultural, religious, and literary imagination.

Above all, this is a great read. Omer-Sherman takes a dynamic approach to the entwined ways that the biblical world and the contemporary one speak to each other through the modern Hebrew writer's imaginative juxtaposition of space, landscape, and ideology. The author's use of the desert as a lens or trope creates a very fresh approach to Jewish writing, that can accommodate parts of the Bible, some current Israeli fiction, and some Diasporic writing as well. The book also draws on, in a truly appealing way, the author's years of living in the Israeli desert. Hence, the wilderness emerges as a real physical place as well as a highly-charged metaphor. The style is crisp and energetic, clear and jargon-free, and keeps the reader engaged in the details of works and in the main thrust of the project as a whole.