The English Teacher

A Novel

By: Yiftach Reicher Atir

Narrated by: Charlotte Albanna

Soon to be the major motion picture The Operative, starring Martin Freeman and Diane Kruger.

For readers of John Le Carré and viewers of Homeland, a slow-burning psychological spy-thriller by a former brigadier general of intelligence in the Israeli army

One of The Washington Post's 10 Best mystery books and thrillers of 2016
After attending her father’s funeral, former Mossad agent Rachel Goldschmitt empties her bank account and disappears. But when she makes a cryptic phone call to her former handler, Ehud, the Mossad sends him to track her down. Finding no leads, he must retrace her career as a spy to figure out why she abandoned Mossad before she can do any damage to Israel. But he soon discovers that after living under cover for so long, an agent’s assumed identity and her real one can blur, catching loyalty, love, and truth between them. In the midst of a high-risk, high-stakes investigation, Ehud begins to question whether he ever knew his agent at all.

In The English Teacher, Yiftach R. Atir drew on his own experience in intelligence to weave a psychologically nuanced thriller that explores the pressures of living under an assumed identity for months at a time.

Critic reviews

"Compelling...As in the works of John le Carré and Charles McCarry, here we see that in the day-to-day spy business, it’s not so much countries that are in danger but individual human souls." —The Washington Post

"The time is right for this astonishing thriller...Though facts have been masked by censors for security reasons, the emotional and psychological elements ring true. " —Library Journal

"Reicher Atir writes with poetic authority of the bleak isolation that pervades the life of the spy long after their active existence is over. This black yet strangely beautiful tragedy will stay with me for a long time." —Alex Marwood

“[Reicher Atir] provides an astonishing look at Middle Eastern spycraft.” — The Denver Post

“An extraordinary page turner, told with clarity, insight, and compassion, The English Teacher offers a rare and realistic portrait of the unrelenting sacrifices of living a double life.” —Gideon Raff

“[Yiftach R. Atir] probes how leading a double life can erode the foundations of a spy’s former existence; how all of the lies are rooted in truth, and the truth, especially when it comes to love, is often coated with a patina of lies. . . . Masterful.” —The Times of Israel

“The book . . . does exactly what a novel of its kind should do: re-examine the Mossad. Throughout the book . . . doubts are cast on personal as well as national morality. . . . Atir seeks to pinpoint the fine line separating the moral actions that operatives perform for their country and their own exploitation.” —Ha’aretz

Intriguing and suspenseful

I enjoyed the story very much. The translation flowed and the book was suspenseful . Recommended!!

Heart rending

Whew, powerfully sad. I wonder how many operatives like Rachel Mossad are scattered throughout the Arab and Persians worlds. Syria, probably too much of a mess and there’s the horrific memory of Eli Cohen. But Iran, Lebanon and perhaps in some North African countries. The book is well done but too wrenching to listen to more than once.

In the leauge of "I am pilgrim "

If you want to feel what kind of nightmare the agents live this will swollow-you!

Unique, captivating and thought-provoking.

Very different from the usual spy thriller genre. It's stark, dark and realistic. No good guys. No bad guys. Just human beings.

Reminiscent of John LeCarre novels

Where does The English Teacher rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I'd rank it close to the very top.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The English Teacher?

The return of the protagonist to her one time lover after 15 years. But don't think this book should be classified with the romance genre. The story is more profound and reveals an in-depth look at what covert agents must do and how they are "used".

What about Charlotte Albanna’s performance did you like?

Her performance was fine just not remarkable.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The Manipulators

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed the story but there seemed to be parts that were missing...didn't flow smoothly. Not sure if this was due to the author's requirement to edit out some of the details that were too revealing regarding covert work or some other reason. I did find it very interesting and character development was great.