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Publisher Comments:
From one of America's most compelling novelists comes the mesmerizing story of a lawyer who must defend the woman he loves against a charge of conspiring to assassinate the prime minister of Israel.
David Wolfe's life is approaching an exhilarating peak: he's a successful San Francisco lawyer, he's about to get married, and he's being primed for a run for Congress. But when the phone rings and he hears the voice of Hana Arif — the Palestinian woman with whom he had a secret affair in law school — he begins a completely unexpected journey. The next day, the prime minister of Israel is assassinated by a suicide bomber while visiting San Francisco; soon, Hana herself is accused of being the mastermind behind the murder. Now David faces an agonizing choice: Will he, a Jew, represent Hana — who may well be guilty — or will he turn away the one woman he can never forget?
The most challenging case of David's career requires that he delve deep into the lives of Hana Arif and her militant Palestinian husband, both of whom have always lived in exile. Ultimately, David's quest takes him to Israel and the West Bank, where, in a series of harrowing encounters, he learns that appearances are not at all what they seem.
Culminating in a tense and startling trial with international ramifications, Exile is that rare novel that both entertains and enlightens. At once an intricate tale of betrayal and deception, a moving love story, and a fascinating journey into the lethal politics of the Middle East, this is Richard North Patterson at his most brilliant and engrossing.
Review:
"Bestseller Patterson's new thriller with its focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been overtaken by events (there's no mention of Israel's unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005 or the recent fighting across the Lebanese border), but the underlying political issues may be enough for most readers to put the real world aside and suspend disbelief. Harvard-trained attorney David Wolfe, a San Franciscan on the verge of a congressional campaign, has his plans derailed when his law school classmate (and one-time lover), Palestinian Hana Arif, asks him to defend her from charges that she led a conspiracy that assassinated dovish Israeli leader Amos Ben-Aron. Inspired by idealism and lingering passion, Wolfe jeopardizes his political future by taking the case. His suspicion that the suicide bombers who attacked Ben-Aron were aided by a security breach leads him to Israel and Lebanon. While Patterson (Conviction) attempts to portray the issues fairly, the introduction of a soap-operaish subplot undercuts his intended high purpose, and the resolution of the mystery is too predictable to surprise." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Review:
"Bestseller Patterson's new thriller with its focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been overtaken by events (there's no mention of Israel's unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005 or the recent fighting across the Lebanese border), but the underlying political issues may be enough for most readers to put the real world aside and suspend disbelief. Harvard-trained attorney David Wolfe, a San Franciscan on the verge of a congressional campaign, has his plans derailed when his law school classmate (and one-time lover), Palestinian Hana Arif, asks him to defend her from charges that she led a conspiracy that assassinated dovish Israeli leader Amos Ben-Aron. Inspired by idealism and lingering passion, Wolfe jeopardizes his political future by taking the case. His suspicion that the suicide bombers who attacked Ben-Aron were aided by a security breach leads him to Israel and Lebanon. While Patterson (Conviction) attempts to portray the issues fairly, the introduction of a soap-operaish subplot undercuts his intended high purpose, and the resolution of the mystery is too predictable to surprise. 10-city author tour. (Jan.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Review:
"As their genre becomes more incorporated into mainstream fiction, many thriller writers find they have Something to Say. Thirteen novels into a career with equal parts acclaim and popularity, Richard North Patterson seems to have embraced his own didactic streak. He sets his newest door-stopping tome in the thick of the incendiary Middle East, giving his characters ample opportunity to express their... Washington Post Book Review (read the entire Washington Post review) views of the conflicts. Unfortunately, in doing so, he neglects more basic needs, such as a strong narrative and plausible motivations. The premise of 'Exile' is chock-full of drama: A successful Jewish lawyer with a seemingly perfect life had an affair with a Palestinian woman that subsequently leads to personal, professional and political despair. Such is the fate of San Franciscan David Wolfe as he fast-tracks his way toward Congress and a wedding with the well-connected daughter of a Holocaust survivor. When his former lover, Hana Arif, calls him after years of silence, he takes on the seemingly impossible task of defending her against charges that she masterminded the assassination-by-suicide-bomber of the Israeli prime minister. And the reader faces a similarly tough assignment: buying into the resulting twists and turns, whereby Wolfe travels to the deepest corners of Israel and back, hoping to prove to himself, multiple government agencies and, ultimately, a skeptical jury that Hana didn't do it. Further untimely deaths and shocking revelations ensue. 'Exile' has the raw material for a thoughtful, entertaining take on Middle Eastern politics, yet Patterson's approach is all too predictable. Of course, Hana is 'slim and startlingly pretty' with 'white, perfect teeth.' Of course, David is still hung up on her, convinced she is incapable of murder. No matter how many times Patterson flashes back to their initial relationship, no matter how many scenes of lovemaking he includes (and there are many), Hana and David's relationship remains unconvincing. Because of that failure, every subsequent emotional development, including the final and most important one, also fails. Even if Patterson had made time for emotional complexity, the novel would still suffer from his penchant for telling every detail and holding the reader's hand through every plot twist. David's Israel trip is more travelogue and ideological exposition than plot development; each legal maneuver, court deposition and character back story takes pages and pages, when a paragraph or two might have sufficed. Clues to how the novel became so bloated can be found in the author's acknowledgments, in which he thanks dozens of helpers and expounds on the extent of his research. Perhaps Patterson's mission was doomed to fail. With a topic this current, the author's challenge is to predict events at least three years before they take place, thanks to the publishing industry's notoriously slow turnaround time. In any case, his novel tries very, very hard to be important but skimps on the fundamental demands of good fiction: well-rounded characters, a credible plot and an appropriate resolution. This author may have Something to Say, but he hasn't found an engaging way to say it." Reviewed by Sarah Weinman, who writes about crime and mystery fiction at www.sarahweinman.com, Washington Post Book World (Copyright 2006 Washington Post Book World Service/Washington Post Writers Group) (hide most of this review)
Review:
"This novel would be much more gripping, however, if Patterson kept a tighter rein on his prose; his tendency is to overexplain his characters and overwrite every scene. But those excesses haven't deterred his fans yet, and they aren't likely to do it this time, either." Booklist
Review:
"Patterson delves evenhandedly into both sides of the Arab-Israeli conflict, making this a fascinating and timely read." Library Journal
Review:
"[N]ot by a long shot Patterson's best book, but in many ways his most characteristic." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis:
From one of America's most compelling novelists comes the mesmerizing story of a lawyer who must defend the woman he loves against a charge of conspiring to assassinate the prime minister of Israel. At once an intricate tale of betrayal and deception, a moving love story, and a fascinating journey into the lethal politics of the Middle East, this is Patterson at his most brilliant and engrossing.
Synopsis:
The mesmerizing story of a trial lawyer who must defend the woman he loves against a charge of conspiring to assassinate the prime minister of Israel
Synopsis:
David Wolfe is a successful American lawyer being primed for a run for Congress. But when the phone rings and he hears the voice of Hana Arif--the Palestinian woman with whom he had a secret affair in law school--he begins a completely unexpected journey.
The next day, the prime minister of Israel is assassinated by a suicide bomber while visiting San Francisco. Soon, Hana is accused of being the mastermind behind the murder. Now David faces an agonizing choice: Will he, a Jew, represent her?
The most challenging case of David's career requires that he delve deep into the lives of Hana and her militant Palestinian husband, all the way back to Israel and the West Bank. There he uncovers the couple's dangerous connections...culminating in an explosive trial where the stakes are Hana's life--and the future of two peoples.
Synopsis:
From one of Americas most compelling novelists comes the mesmerizing story of a lawyer who must defend the woman he loves against a charge of conspiring to assassinate the prime minister of Israel
David Wolfes life is approaching an exhilarating peak: hes a successful San Francisco lawyer, hes about to get married, and hes being primed for a run for Congress. But when the phone rings and he hears the voice of Hana Arif—the Palestinian woman with whom he had a secret affair in law school—he begins a completely unexpected journey. The next day, the prime minister of Israel is assassinated by a suicide bomber while visiting San Francisco; soon, Hana herself is accused of being the mastermind behind the murder. Now David faces an agonizing choice: Will he, a Jew, represent Hana—who may well be guilty—or will he turn away the one woman he can never forget?
The most challenging case of Davids career requires that he delve deep into the lives of Hana Arif and her militant Palestinian husband, both of whom have always lived in exile. Ultimately, Davids quest takes him to Israel and the West Bank, where, in a series of harrowing encounters, he learns that appearances are not at all what they seem.
Culminating in a tense and startling trial with international ramifications, Exile is that rare novel that both entertains and enlightens. At once an intricate tale of betrayal and deception, a moving love story, and a fascinating journey into the lethal politics of the Middle East, this is Richard North Patterson at his most brilliant and engrossing.
Richard North Patterson is the author of thirteen previous bestselling and critically acclaimed novels. Formerly a trial lawyer, Patterson was the SEC liaison to the Watergate special prosecutor and has served on the boards of several Washington advocacy groups dealing with gun violence, political reform, and women's rights. He lives in San Francisco and on Martha's Vineyard.
jeanrose, November 3, 2007 (view all comments by jeanrose)
_Exile_ is three books in one: a romance, a legal thriller, and a documentary, which leads the reader with the protagonist into the insoluble hell of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
Tying the books together is the assassination of the Israeli Prime Minister in San Francisco, a city noted for the founding of the United Nations, where the PM has launched a new initiative for a Palestinian state. David Wolfe, an assimilated Jew, is about to be married to a Holocaust survivor's daughter and embark on a brilliant political career, when his past intersects with an act of terror and a Palestinian woman is indicted for the crime. Her name, Hana, means "serenity" and David's peace is shattered when she, the only woman who ever touched him emotionally, and then married another, asks him to defend her.
His attempt to put together a case that will save her life means he must reject his fiancee, his reputation, his political future, and descend into interlocking circles of hell, guided by Israeli and Palestinian operatives in the shadowy world of militant factions that prey on their own people as well as their ethnic enemies. This is the heart of the book and it is shot through with real names and real stories of war, conflict, inhumanity, and hatred.
Returning to defend his former lover, Wolfe re-enters his homeland as an exile, changed by what he has seen and heard, only to find at the heart of the case a series of personal betrayals, including his own. The trial becomes a private ordeal as well as a media sensation, in which his choices will determine the lives of the two women who have transformed him from a disengaged and calculating contender to a vulnerable and uncertain traveler in realms that he and the reader never could have imagined.
Patterson's novel is contrived to teach the reader that there are problems so complex that simple answers only compound them. This is a cerebral and didactic book packaged as a fictional B-narrative. Somehow, it works because it disturbs us with competing truths.
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Product details
768 pages
Henry Holt & Company -
English9780805079470
Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review"
by Publishers Weekly,
"Bestseller Patterson's new thriller with its focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been overtaken by events (there's no mention of Israel's unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005 or the recent fighting across the Lebanese border), but the underlying political issues may be enough for most readers to put the real world aside and suspend disbelief. Harvard-trained attorney David Wolfe, a San Franciscan on the verge of a congressional campaign, has his plans derailed when his law school classmate (and one-time lover), Palestinian Hana Arif, asks him to defend her from charges that she led a conspiracy that assassinated dovish Israeli leader Amos Ben-Aron. Inspired by idealism and lingering passion, Wolfe jeopardizes his political future by taking the case. His suspicion that the suicide bombers who attacked Ben-Aron were aided by a security breach leads him to Israel and Lebanon. While Patterson (Conviction) attempts to portray the issues fairly, the introduction of a soap-operaish subplot undercuts his intended high purpose, and the resolution of the mystery is too predictable to surprise." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
"Publishers Weekly Review"
by Publishers Weekly,
"Bestseller Patterson's new thriller with its focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been overtaken by events (there's no mention of Israel's unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005 or the recent fighting across the Lebanese border), but the underlying political issues may be enough for most readers to put the real world aside and suspend disbelief. Harvard-trained attorney David Wolfe, a San Franciscan on the verge of a congressional campaign, has his plans derailed when his law school classmate (and one-time lover), Palestinian Hana Arif, asks him to defend her from charges that she led a conspiracy that assassinated dovish Israeli leader Amos Ben-Aron. Inspired by idealism and lingering passion, Wolfe jeopardizes his political future by taking the case. His suspicion that the suicide bombers who attacked Ben-Aron were aided by a security breach leads him to Israel and Lebanon. While Patterson (Conviction) attempts to portray the issues fairly, the introduction of a soap-operaish subplot undercuts his intended high purpose, and the resolution of the mystery is too predictable to surprise. 10-city author tour. (Jan.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
"Review"
by Booklist,
"This novel would be much more gripping, however, if Patterson kept a tighter rein on his prose; his tendency is to overexplain his characters and overwrite every scene. But those excesses haven't deterred his fans yet, and they aren't likely to do it this time, either."
"Review"
by Library Journal,
"Patterson delves evenhandedly into both sides of the Arab-Israeli conflict, making this a fascinating and timely read."
"Review"
by Kirkus Reviews,
"[N]ot by a long shot Patterson's best book, but in many ways his most characteristic."
"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
From one of America's most compelling novelists comes the mesmerizing story of a lawyer who must defend the woman he loves against a charge of conspiring to assassinate the prime minister of Israel. At once an intricate tale of betrayal and deception, a moving love story, and a fascinating journey into the lethal politics of the Middle East, this is Patterson at his most brilliant and engrossing.
"Synopsis"
by Netread,
The mesmerizing story of a trial lawyer who must defend the woman he loves against a charge of conspiring to assassinate the prime minister of Israel
"Synopsis"
by Netread,
David Wolfe is a successful American lawyer being primed for a run for Congress. But when the phone rings and he hears the voice of Hana Arif--the Palestinian woman with whom he had a secret affair in law school--he begins a completely unexpected journey.
The next day, the prime minister of Israel is assassinated by a suicide bomber while visiting San Francisco. Soon, Hana is accused of being the mastermind behind the murder. Now David faces an agonizing choice: Will he, a Jew, represent her?
The most challenging case of David's career requires that he delve deep into the lives of Hana and her militant Palestinian husband, all the way back to Israel and the West Bank. There he uncovers the couple's dangerous connections...culminating in an explosive trial where the stakes are Hana's life--and the future of two peoples.
"Synopsis"
by Netread,
From one of Americas most compelling novelists comes the mesmerizing story of a lawyer who must defend the woman he loves against a charge of conspiring to assassinate the prime minister of Israel
David Wolfes life is approaching an exhilarating peak: hes a successful San Francisco lawyer, hes about to get married, and hes being primed for a run for Congress. But when the phone rings and he hears the voice of Hana Arif—the Palestinian woman with whom he had a secret affair in law school—he begins a completely unexpected journey. The next day, the prime minister of Israel is assassinated by a suicide bomber while visiting San Francisco; soon, Hana herself is accused of being the mastermind behind the murder. Now David faces an agonizing choice: Will he, a Jew, represent Hana—who may well be guilty—or will he turn away the one woman he can never forget?
The most challenging case of Davids career requires that he delve deep into the lives of Hana Arif and her militant Palestinian husband, both of whom have always lived in exile. Ultimately, Davids quest takes him to Israel and the West Bank, where, in a series of harrowing encounters, he learns that appearances are not at all what they seem.
Culminating in a tense and startling trial with international ramifications, Exile is that rare novel that both entertains and enlightens. At once an intricate tale of betrayal and deception, a moving love story, and a fascinating journey into the lethal politics of the Middle East, this is Richard North Patterson at his most brilliant and engrossing.
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