The Hilltop

By: Assaf Gavron

Narrated by: Robert Fass

On a rocky, beautiful hilltop stands Ma'aleh Hermesh C, a fledgling community flying under the radar. According to the government it doesn't exist; according to the military it must be defended. On this contested land, Othniel Assis - under the wary gaze of the neighboring Palestinian village - installs his ever-expanding family. As Othniel manipulates government agencies, more settlers arrive and the outpost takes root. One of the settlement's residents is Gabi Kupper. Gabi's new life is thrown into turmoil with the sudden arrival of Roni, his prodigal brother. To the settlement's dismay, Roni soon hatches a plan to sell the 'artisanal' olive oil from the Palestinian village to Tel Aviv yuppies. When a curious Washington Post correspondent stumbles into their midst, Ma'aleh Hermesh C becomes the focus of an international diplomatic scandal.

©2013 Assaf Gavron (P)2014 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Critic reviews

"It is no exaggeration to say that Assaf Gavron is the most exciting, inventive, and though-provoking Israeli novelist of our generation. The Hilltop is a perfect example of the wry and satirical style that has made him a household name in Israel and it is sure to do the same for him here in the U.S. I loved this book." (Reza Aslan, New York Times best-selling author of Zealot and No god but God)

"Assaf Gavron is one of the most original and powerful writers on the Israeli scene. His clear and honest writing blasts right through the cliches and the politically correct surface to touch the chaotic, ambiguous core of the Israeli identity. The Hilltop is Gavron's latest and most impressive attempt to map the Israeli society. His perspective is a must-read for every seriously curious reader." (Etgar Keret, author of The Nimrod Flipout and Suddenly, a Knock at the Door)

"Assaf Gavron allows us to understand the political situation in the Middle East in careful, profound and nuanced terms. He is unafraid to go into zones of conflict and find the essential human contradictions there. Gavron’s work is engaging in the way that all good literature entertains – it is, in fact, very funny – but it also has lasting purpose. He is one of the most agile and necessary voices of contemporary Israeli literature." (Colum McCann, National Book Award-winning author of Let the Great World Spin and TransAtlantic)

"The Hilltop shimmers with wisdom, truth, humor, and melancholy. It’s a beautiful novel to behold, even if the world it depicts is vigorously alive, like a poke to the eye." - Amos Oz, New York Times-bestselling author of A Tale of Love and Darkness

Wonderful experience!

Wonderful - takes you into the trauma of home demolitions (which happen now predominantly to Palestinians), takes you into settlers' lives and the problems they face. Heartfelt and accurate.

Excellent novel!

The author achieves what few can, exposing the violent Jewish supremacy of West Bank settlement without writing a political book and despite his most human characters, most of whom are settlers.

Yuck

trigger warning- child abuse, violence. also many of the characters have very similar names, hard to keep track