The Lemon Tree

Throughout the book much is made of the “dialog” and “friendship” of the protagonists, Dalia and Bashir. This was completely lost on me. It is Dalia who consistently opens her heart and actively seeks an understanding. She looks beyond herself to the situation of the Arabs that once inhabited the land. She tries to envision a solution. Bashir does none of these things. He does not once open his heart nor seek understanding, he simply goes through the motions of basic Arab hospitality. He does not look beyond himself, not once, to see the plight of the Jewish people. He never tries to envision a solution, instead fixating on one single scenario and blinding himself to anything beyond.

The author tried really hard to be fair, and in that I think he does a good job.