Someone to Run with (Hardcover)

Jerusalem residents and visitors will be a bit surprised to find the city's downtown pedestrian mall (Midrahov) in Hebrew) referred to as 'The Walking Street.' And no one would recognize the name of the city's well-known conference center, Binyanei Ha'Uma, when listed as the 'Nation's Building.'

But, translation errors and the frequent references to popular Hebrew songs aside, readers will have no trouble following the wonderful magic of this amazing bestseller, which won the 2001 Sapir Prize for Literature in Israel.

Readers will run with the book, from its very first sentence: "A dog runs through the streets, a boy runs after it." The boy is awkward and shy, sixteen-year-old Assaf, who is having the worst summer of his life. Spending his days at a lowly job in Jerusalem City Hall, Assaf is given an absurd assignment to find the owner of a stray yellow Labrador. The dog pulls Assaf along, and we follow them, as excited as Assaf to see where we'll be going.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Tamar, a talented singer with a lonely, tempestuous soul, undertakes an equally unpromising mission. It would be a crime to reveal in advance Tamar's undertaking, but let it suffice to say that she is dragged into the Jerusalem underworld, where Israeli street kids find refuge from the anxieties of family life in a society racked by self-doubt.

"Someone to Run with" is a mixture of fairy tale magic, gritty realism and powerful emotions. Assaf and Tamar keep running, away from their families and towards each other in
an adventure of adolescence and a discovery of young love. The portrayal of their actions, thoughts and emotions is harsh, and remarkably realistic. And that's a mighty accomplishment by an author, in any language.

It is a novel with both fear and romance in its heart. One of the characters is a lady who has not gone outside for 50 years because of the terror threat. Despite the ever present threat of terrorism, this is at heart an optimistic novel in which the author clearly expresses his belief that things will get better soon.

Someone To Run With is both a great read and is recommended reading for these troubled times.