A Woman in Jerusalem

Title: A Woman in Jerusalem
Author: A.B.Yehoshua
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 237
Edition: Hardcover

Translated from Hebrew, this novel by Yehoshua is an exquisite piece of work that follows the relentless pursuit of a man on a mission to restore the humanity of an innocent terrorist bomb victim in Israel. Yulia Ragayev, an integral character of the book dies in a terrorist bombing in Jerusalem market. Having no one to mourn for her death, she lies unidentified and unclaimed in a morgue. Tipped off by a blood-stained paystub found in her possession at the time of death, a newspaper journalist uncovers her identity that she had been working as a cleaning woman for a large bakery company. The local weekly runs an odious article accusing the company of their callousness and inhumanity towards the employee. Filled with remorse and atonement, the company's owner entrusts the onus of tracing her family and burying the victim to the personnel division's manager. As the investigation continues, the manager slowly gets captivated by her charming beauty and the past. With a fervent hope and unwavering determination, he flies to the victim's home country with the corpse to give her a dignified funeral. What astonished me about the book was the arduous journey he embarks on to find her family back home to restore her body and how he would go to the world's end if need be, to accomplish the improbable mission. The perseverance and the endless ordeal he endures for a woman he never knew adds a profounding touch to this novel. I was held in awe by the surprising twist at the end of the plot. A heartwarming book!!
My Rating: 3.8/5