“A Late Divorce”, by A.B. Yehoshua, is a novel that was translated from the Hebrew by Hillel Halkin. The story line revolves around Yehuda and his wife Naomi.Yehuda has traveled from America, back to his homeland of Israel, in order to obtain a divorce from his wife, Naomi, so he can marry a forty-something, pregnant woman. Here is where the tour-de-force begins. “A Late Divorce“, in my opinion, has a dual purpose, and is a true tour-de-force novel with its story lines regarding family dynamics, within the tapestry of the State of Israel, a country whose own threads encompass its own state of dynamics, culturally, emotionally, physically and geographically. Obtaining the divorce requires strength, and is no easy feat for Yehuda, and his determination has thrown his family members into a state of emotional turmoil, through the family's own comical tactics. Yes, comical, because within the The book takes place over a period of nine days that lead up to the Passover celebration. Each day (a chapter in the book) is devoted to one family member’s perspective, not only on the divorce, but family life in general, and how they remember Yehuda’s time spent with them. Yehoshua is masterful in his ability to get inside the human mind, and see life through nine family members, each bringing a different analysis to the current familial situation.For some, the situation is unbearable, and for others, daily verbal assaults and torture is a way of life, thinly disguised as joking. We have the character of Gaddi on Sunday, a seven-year old, and grandson of Yehuda. We are privvy to his thoughts within his racing mind, and Yehoshua is ingenious in the way he presents Gaddi, unarticulated, fast talking, thoughts running from one subject to the next. Yet, within his immaturity, we also see a Gaddi who seems persceptive, and a child who exhibits emotions turned inward.Monday brings us Yisra’el Kedmi, Yehuda’s son-in-law, married to Ya’el. He is called Kedmi, as he feels one Israel is enough. Kedmi is more of an “out-law” than an in-law. He is the “jokester”, the one who demonstrates passive-aggressive behavior through his obnoxious and snide remarks. Yet, he might just be the sanest of the bunch. It’s all up to the reader.Tuesday is Dina’s day. She is Asi’s wife, and Asi is the son of Yehuda. She is an only child of Hungarian parents, who are Hasidic Jews, who are constantly at her for not having children. Dina is an aspiring writer. Her writing is her family, each page is like one of her children.Wednesday is Asi’s voice, one that is told in an environment of familial sadness. Asi has a passion for 19th century terrorists and their history, and he lectures at the university. He has a compulsion that is harmful to himself, and it began when he was a child. Asi acts openly superior to his wife, Dina, and treats her as if she is a child. He has yet to fulfill his marriage by having sexual relations with Dina.Thursday we hear a one-sided conversation that Refa’el Calderon has with Tsvi. Tsvi is Yehuda’s son, and Refa’el is Tsvi’s current lover. Not only is the conversation one-sided, but so is the relationship, as Tsvi treats Refa’el with extreme disrespect. Refa’el is of Sephardic Jewish heritage.Friday is the day that Tsvi meets with his therapist, right before Shabbat evening prayer service begins. He is an extremely manipulative person, and is always looking for an easy and quick way to make money, even if it is at another’s expense. He has convinced his mother not to sign the divorce agreement until she is given the entire share of the apartment that she and Yehuda own. Tsvi lives in Tel Aviv.Saturday is not only the Sabbath, but is a day that takes place three years into the future. We are seeing the day through Ya’el’s mind and eyes, as she tries to focus on the past and remember what events occurred. What tragic incident happened that has caused her to block her memory of the day. Ya’el has been the quiet force in the family, always trying to please everyone. Also, in this chapter we are introduced to Connie, who was Yehuda’s bride-to-be, and their son.Sunday is the day of the Passover Seder, and we meet Naomi, Yehuda’s wife. She has been confined to a mental hospital ever since she stabbed Yehuda. She has been labeled as crazy, although I am not so sure that she is. She has many coherent and cognizant moments, more than other family members.Monday is Yehuda’s story, his memories and perspectives. We begin to see the overall picture in this chapter more clearly. And, we realize who is manipulative, and who is trying to drive the other to madness. The greed and guilt combine, bringing out emotions that were harbored and festered to a crescendo of an ending.The stories within the chapters of “A Late Divorce” are a metaphor for dysfunctional family relationships and interactions, and a metaphor for the daily lives and dynamics that make up the fabric of Israel’s very core. We see the comparison through Yehoshua’s characters. “A Late Divorce” is a story filled with sadness and humor, both. Yet, the sadness is dominant, as each family member tries to heal the family as a unit, as a whole, and put it back together, failing in their endeavors. There is never peace, in any situation, and each family member is constantly on guard, often on guard for the unknown and unseen forces, as if awaiting disaster. Each voice is a thread in the fabric of the whole, the complete tapestry is told with the incomparable voice and brilliance of A.B. Yehoshua. He is masterful in his word visuals, and brings incredible insight into the human mind and emotions, blending both in a concise and astute vision of both family and the State of Israel. “A Late Divorce” is a book not to be missed.I personally own and have read this book.
"Perché basta che una persona ti dia la sua pena e il suo sentimento e allora anche la cosa più strana del mondo sembra così umana." Dopo avermi folgorato con L'amante, Yehoshua se possibile mi folgora ancora di più con questo secondo romanzo della sua trilogia. Gli ambienti, le dinamiche, le tematiche e le scelte narrative e stilistiche sono le stesse del romanzo precedente, ma dentro c'è un intero mondo sì da poter concludere che sono due romanzi simili, ma anche due romanzi completamente diversi.Il divorzio tardivo del titolo è quello del vecchio Yehudà, tornato in Israele solo per chiudere i rapporti con la moglie e la sua variegata famiglia; inutile dire finirà con lo stringere ancora di più quei legami. Come in una progressione gerarchica, la prima voce è quella del piccolo Gadi, nipote del vecchio, primo vero contatto umano di Yehudà in terra di Israele, appena destatosi dal sonno confuso del jetlag. Dopo di lui toccherà ai genitori, risalendo la gerarchia familiare, per poi estendersi a fratelli, zii, mogli, nuore e amanti. Nette sono le coordinate spaziotemporali in cui si svolge la storia: i nove giorni che precedono la Pasqua. Esaltando il piacere dello sperimentalismo del primo libro, a ogni personaggio è associato un giorno e uno stile diverso, sì da restituire una summa narrativa che sembra voglia esser una summa della vita umana. Feroce come una testata è il flusso di coscienza che si impone all'inizio del romanzo, il cui affollarsi di pensieri rappresenta al meglio l'attività mentale del piccolo Gadi; un flusso di coscienza che, seppure annacquato, non scompare mai dalla pagina, configurandosi definitivamente come tratto caratteristico della scrittura di Yehoshua. I capitoli femminili sono i più tumultuosi, il flusso continuo di parole congestiona la pagina, si accanisce su se stesso e impone un ritmo frenetico e concitato. Altri capitoli si presentano, all'opposto, del tutto privi di un tale maelström narrativo, riducendosi a un dialogo botta e risposta tutt'altro che semplice e lineare; singolare è la scelta, nel capitolo dedicato a Rafael, di scrivere un dialogo omettendo però del tutto le risposte dell'altro interlocutore, lasciando che il lettore sprofondi in quei vuoti silenzi.Non si pensi però che il piacere del gioco narrativo esaurisca la grandezza del romanzo. Non si può tacere la finezza dell'introspezione psicologica, incastonata nella cornice della complessa realtà israeliana; Yehoshua si muove dentro e fuori l'essere umano, in lungo e in largo Israele, tracciando la geografia dell'esistenza umana.Nell'affollarsi di cose, pensieri, strade, emozioni mal identificate, sentimenti repressi, Yehoshua pone le coordinate della vita umana e impone la sua scrittura, la sua idea di letteratura. E quando fa dire a un suo personaggio: cose, oggetti, realtà fisica e solo dopo estrarne idee o simboli. Questa è letteratura, non si può che essere d'accordo.
Do You like book A Late Divorce (1993)?
Innanzitutto è un libro scritto in modo originale. Se la mancanza di punteggiatura per voi è un problema, non prendetelo in mano: qui si usa il flusso di coscienza. Vi sono descritti 9 giorni e 9 personaggi appartenenti a una famiglia, i Kaminka. Ambientato agli inizi degli anni ’80 in Israele, è la descrizione di una famiglia, con i suoi attriti e vecchi rancori, ma che finisce col riscoprire comunque di essere famiglia; e di personaggi che hanno condiviso un evento drammatico del passato – la madre di famiglia che è impazzita – e altri che si sono avvicinati successivamente al nucleo familiare principale, nelle cui vite questo episodio rappresenta solo un evento di sfondo. La narrazione segue proprio questo metodo, partendo da un maggiore grado di estraneità alla vicenda, entra nelle menti dei personaggi che man mano vi sono sempre più invischiati. Insomma, credo che questo sia un libro-esperimento, in cui molte tecniche di narrazione moderne sono state adoperate, e a mio parere con successo, per raccontare una storia comune della famiglia medio-borghese che si dilata e dirada.
—M. T. Moscariello
Credo che questo sia un capolavoro, non si può non ammetterlo. Un capolavoro letterario che ha dentro di sé una caratteristica che mi piace tantissimo dei romanzi: la narrazione a più voci, dal punto di vista di più protagonisti. Scritto con uno stile diverso che ti lascia di stucco quando ti ritrovi a leggere la prima pagina... eppure dopo un po' ti abitui a quelle frasi senza virgole, quei brevi flussi di coscienza. La storia e il modo in cui è raccontata mi hanno coinvolto fin dalle primissime pagine.
—Daniela Mastropasqua
This novel was my introduction to Yehoshua and I was intrigued and engaged by it, not so much for the story of family dysfunction but for the style and structure in which the author chooses to make his characters come alive.Nine distinct voices cover a day for each of the nine days leading to Passover, nine voices of family members culminating in the voice of the protagonist Yehuda, who has returned from the US to Israel to divorce his “mad” wife who once tried to kill him. As I progressed through the novel I got the impression that there was more than a mad (she is schizophrenic) wife here, that all these flawed characters were quite mad in their own ways, physically, emotionally, sexually and legally. Yehoshua experiments with a variety of styles to deliver the voices: sentences without punctuation, sentences with some punctuation, one-sided dialogue, poetic monologues, dialogue-only chapters, and “straight” narrative just when you think you are going off the edge yourself. The varying degrees of freneticism, the sweating of the small stuff, the obsessions and the guilt are sharply drawn, and the nine different angles gives this story depth beyond what one expects.There is also a strong indictment of the one who not only deserts his spouse but also leaves the Promised Land. Yehuda, abandons his mentally ill wife and grown-up family in Israel and takes up with a much younger woman in America and is about to have a child with her, and his behaviour raises conflicted feelings among his adult children, grandchildren and children-in-law. Asi, the intellectual and sterile son, hates his father (probably for Dad’s fertility) while his wife Dina is attracted to the old man, Tsvi the other son is out to swindle Daddy, and Ya’el, the faithful daughter, is killing her father because she does not offer an opinion, while the jester in the family, Kedmi, the lawyer husband of Ya’el, is trying to profit from the divorce. Only Naomi, the mad wife, withholds judgement and longs to be forgiven for letting the other voice in her head take over and wield the knife on that pivotal day that split the family apart. Yehuda himself is a self-pitying drama king, who is willing to bare his chest and reveal his wound to any stranger. And as we all know, there is no real return for those who flee the coup, even though reparations are made, and Yehuda’s battle to jettison his “baggage” and retain a hold on his homeland leads to his unravelling.The land of Israel also reveals itself to us as the family moves between Haifa, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, each city distinct in its topography and climate, coming across as an undefined land, a melting pot of many cultures, fears, and ideas, glued only by the Jewish tradition and the threat of attack from the outside world. This is a strong character story and a good model to demonstrate writing style and versatility. I think I will be picking up more of this author’s work in the future.
—Shane
