Matches: A Novel [Paperback]

Nathan Falk, "Matches" protagonist, is binational, an Israeli army veteran and a citizen of America and Israel. When Alan Kaufman's novel opens, Nathan is serving in a reserve unit of combat-trained Israeli infantry. He had already served two years in the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), and as a reservist was frequently asked what brought him to "this insane mess?" Why join the army if he didn't have to? An American by birth, Falk feels he had lived pretending to himself that non-Jews really didn't think he was a "Christ-killing, world-dominating, media-controlling k*ke..." But he was always aware of an "ice-cold separateness." "They never let you forget not so much that you were a Jew but that they....were not." Nathan strongly believes that the only place in the world he can be free of this baggage is in Israel. Toward the end of the novel, an army general expresses, yet again, his surprise that an educated American, "who knows Auden and Yeats," would volunteer for the Israeli armed services. Falk replies that he loves the Jewish State and would do anything to keep it alive. "Because loving it is like loving myself." Then he reverts to dark humor as a way of chiding himself for sounding sappy and sentimental. However, he notes that the general is moved by his heartfelt statement.

Kaufman attempts to provide here an evenhanded account of an Israeli soldier's life at the front and to reflect the enormous human toll the seemingly never-ending Palestinian-Israeli conflict takes on everyone it touches. Although many might say, (and I am sure they will do so), that no one can be objective or unbiased about this horrendous situation that saps energy and hope and breeds hatred and terror on both sides, I think the author does a superb job of bringing the realities of the war into the reader's living rooms. His perspective is much broader than one would think or expect. In an up close and personal, in-your-face kind of way, we accompany Nathan Falk as he navigates his schizophrenic world - the intricate maze of his personal civilian life and that of his military reservist tours of duty. Falk is a wonderful character - absolutely three-dimensional and very likeable, although his life away from the front lines, in Jerusalem where he is a member of an artistic, intellectual circle and the lover of his best friend's wife, may call his morality into question. His heart and mind are in the right place though. Bottom line - he is a decent, thoughtful man.

Kaufman also draws extraordinary portraits of those who people our protagonist's life: Brandt, the squad leader with the looks and sex appeal of a movie star; Avi, a Moroccan-born Jew who drives a taxi in civilian life; Sergeant Dedi, whom the men would follow anywhere, has "the darkstaring focus of a Ninja tenth-degree black belt." He is an art student when not leading death defying patrols; Bachshi, the Bedouin, the unit's best tracker and Falk's close friend - or at least "as close as a Bedouin and a Jew can be;" Rami the cook who feeds his men as if he were a Jewish mother; Elchanon the very religious immigrant from Yeman, lives in a settlement which will eventually be turned over to the Palestinians. He and his fellow "moshavniks" believe that "the Israel granted to the Jews in the Torah which stretched from Lebanon to the Euphrates, and all the way to Amman and Damascus, is the Israel that we should have today." He is a fundamentalist who is sure that "After the war against the goyim will come the war between the Jews." If you do not believe as he does, than you are an enemy.

The narrative is permeated with wonderful humor which alleviates the grim reality of being a member of an occupying force trying to prevent lethal suicide bombers from getting through and succeeding in their mission to kill as many innocent civilians as possible. "Matches" is a war novel unlike any I have ever read. The vivid prose moves, informs and disturbs, as well as causes laughter. "Matches," the author tells us, is a term taken from a poem by Hannah Senesh, "'Blessed Is The Match' - a hymn to valor - and is the IDF code word for a soldier. Among the troops, it has come to mean someone who strikes, burns and dies."

Alan Kaufman is an American who joined the Israeli Defense Forces two decades ago and returned for multiple tours of duty, most recently in 2003. His essay on "The Origin of Matches" at the back of the book is extraordinary. A must read!

I cannot recommend this riveting novel highly enough. Enjoy!
JANA

Matches, more a series of related short stories than a novel, loosely hangs on the life of Nathan Falk. Falk, an American born Jew with a career in semi-pro football, leaves everything behind for a life in Israel and service in the Israeli Defense Forces. He seeks his heritage among the IDF soldiers, a.k.a. Matches -- those who strike, burn and die.

The book is divided into four parts but it proves useful to think of it divided into three sections. Parts III and IV together make up the third section.

Part I contains six chapters. Six is the number of man according to Jewish belief and this section deals with man's inhumanity to man. It is especially evident in "Jewish Wars" where Jews threaten to kill Jews and in "Good-bye House" where the IDF destroys the home of suspected terrorist sympathizers.

"The Bedouin," Part II's only chapter, opens with a contest to determine how fast a Bedouin tracker can catch a wild hare in his bare hands. The plight of the hare becomes representative of the plight of women in the Israeli-Arab conflict.

The chapter focuses on two women. Batiya, a teenage Bedouin, is marked for execution by her father because she is involved with an Arabic tracker. Maya, a Jewess, is caught between a passionless marriage with her artist husband and an affair with Falk. Both women are destroyed by events stemming from the war.

The vulgarity of this section should shock the reader. Indeed, it seems intended to. War violates and betrays.

The final section, Parts III and IV, contains seven chapters, seven being the number of completion. It reveals the utter futility of war in the Middle East and the foolish cycle of retaliation and death among the Israelis and Arabs.

The final chapter, "Blame," takes us full circle. Once again, we find man's inhumanity to man, although only vaguely hinted.

Matches suffers from a lack of editorial direction. Just as the soldiers in the book have a dearth of quality leadership, the book itself seems to have had no real leadership in the publishing process.

Ambiguity, inconsistent characterization and poor style hurt an otherwise fine narrative. The book's potential to be a powerful dystopia, in the vein of 1984 or Fahrenheit 451, remains unrealized.

Alan Kaufman teaches us two things. Peace is a blessing that comes at a high cost. War is terror and the best soldier is one who survives.

This is Kaufman's first novel. His previous publications include a memoir (Jew Boy), a poetry book and a few anthologies. Kaufman admits to being a "binational, Israeli and American." As an Israeli he did time in the Israeli army or more properly Israel Defense Forces, giving him the experience necessary to draw on for this glimpse into a soldier's life.

The title, Matches, is a nickname the officers gave the soldiers, "one-strike flames that burned up and died." It is narrated from the perspective of Nathan Falk. An American Jew, who feels alienated at home in New York, has chosen to fight along his Jewish comrades in the Israeli army. Living on Time cigarettes, French fries and mud coffee he leads two lives, the one he has in Gaza and the one he has in Jerusalem. Were it not for the constant reminders from fellow soldiers that he is a Yankee he'd probably forget.

In Gaza, no one likes the Israeli army or its soldiers. Everyone they come across glares at them with "an undisguised look of hatred." When he is on leave in Jerusalem he spends his time in bed with another man's wife, a beautiful red-head named Maya, an artist with psychological problems Nate isn't equipped to handle. Some of them brought on by his need to control and withhold despite saying "she was all that I care for".

What I liked about this book was the view it provided outside the usual media propaganda. It looks into the culture of Israel from two perspectives. One, although briefly, from the somewhat safe stronghold of Jerusalem and the other from the frontline of Gaza. It was a difficult read on many levels especially since my reading seemed to coincide with Israel's recent turmoil but it did help me to understand more about what is going on; although I might not always accept it.

What ruined it for me were the in-depth side stories about a man defecating in the street; a sea of rotting horses, camels and goats; cutting off the ears of a dog and feeding it to him; and the horse that fell on a land mine. By the time I finished it I was just happy it was over. Some may think I'm losing the point of the story but I mention this only for those who would not want to read such content (in detail) which in this instance is more offensive than the rest of the story.

It dates itself with some of the language, like "Jerry Bruckheimer fireball". There's no real sense of a conclusion by the end. Nathan is still a soldier; the fighting continues and people keep dying on both sides. Nathan hasn't learned anything since the beginning of the book; he just keeps on keeping on with no real purpose other than being a soldier.

What I would have liked to have seen is an appendage or two; like a mini weapons diagram to reference the numerous weapons mentioned throughout for those with no frame of reference. A map of the region would also have been helpful.

Matches is not high on my list of recommendations but if you're curious about the life of one Israel soldier from the perspective of someone who has lived on both sides this may whet your appetite for more. If you have any sensitivity to animals being hurt, skip it. Review written by M. E. Wood.