What to Do About the Solomons

by Bethany Ball

Paperback, 2017

Status

Available

Call number

F BAL

Collection

Publication

Atlantic Monthly Press (2017), 288 pages

Description

"From a remarkable new voice in fiction, Bethany Ball, comes a transporting debut; a hilarious multigenerational family saga set in Israel, New York, and Los Angeles that explores the secrets and gossip-filled lives of a kibbutz community near Jerusalem. Meet Marc Solomon, an Israeli ex-Navy commando now living in L.A., who is falsely accused of money laundering through his asset management firm. As the Solomons' Santa Monica home is raided, Marc's American wife, Carolyn -- concealing her own dark past -- makes hopeless attempts to hold their family of five together. But news of the scandal makes its way from America to the rest of the Solomon clan on the kibbutz in the Jordan River Valley. There we encounter various members of the family and the community -- from Marc's self-absorbed movie actress sister, Shira, and her forgotten son Joseph; to his rich and powerful construction magnate father, Yakov; to his former star-crossed love, Maya; and his brother-in-law Guy Gever, a local ranger turned "artist." As the secrets and rumors of the kibbutz are revealed through various memories and tales, we witness the things that keep the Solomons together, and those that tear them apart. Reminiscent of Nathan Englander's For the Relief of Unbearable Urges and Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad, and told with razor-sharp humor and elegant acuity, What to Do About the Solomons is an exhilarating first book from a bright new star in fiction"--… (more)

Barcode

5438

Awards

National Jewish Book Award (Finalist — Debut Fiction — 2017)

Language

User reviews

LibraryThing member debkrenzer
This was a very strange read. It's about a family living in a kibbutz and how the kids grow up and go live their lives. There are a lot of secrets and rumors. The story is so intriguing it just keeps you engrossed and you just keep reading more.

The author gives you little hints about each child,
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well adults now, that peak your interest. When I first started reading it, I was thinking that I was not going to like it. However, very shortly into it, I just could not put it down. It's just hard to put into words exactly how the author attracts you but believe me, she does. A strange read that intrigues and pulls you in.

Thanks to Grove Atlantic for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
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LibraryThing member brangwinn
Plenty of quirky characters about this Israeli family with members both Israel and the US. I look forward to more writing from Ball. Her skill in creating a story that kept me reading to the end. Yes, I could put it down, but I was always glad when I had time to pick up the book again.
LibraryThing member arubabookwoman
"What to do with the Solomons? The Solomons will do for themselves."

"One day honey, the next day onions."

This novel focuses on the Israeli Solomon family, patriarch Yakov and his wife Vivienne, and their 5 children. They mostly remain in Israel, some on a kibbutz, but Marc, the favorite son has
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moved to Los Angeles with his family. As the novel opens, Marc has just been arrested and charged with some vague, but serious, financial crimes.

The novel is told non-chronologically in a sporadic manner with abrupt changes of pov character, setting, time and plot points. This makes the novel very difficult to follow and to become engaged in. I felt it to be very scattered and incomplete, with no emotional center, and too many characters and events glossed quickly over--it was like the pilot for what is hoped to be a long-running family saga tv series. I actually read through this twice, the second time making an outline of each "episode" or section, noting the characters involved and the events describe. It didn't make me like the book any better.

1 1/2 stars
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LibraryThing member nivramkoorb
I came upon this book because Ball had a new book out that had good reviews but I could not get it so I thought I would read her debut novel. This book is about a large Israeli family and deals with shifting characters and timelines. The book moves quickly and although each section is in itself
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well done and interesting the book does not flow in a easy to follow way. If you are familiar with Israel and the Jewish culture then the book may be more interesting to you. It does give you an insight into Israel that gets away from the politics of the country that is usually the dominant theme. It was written in a way that it could be TV family saga and might actually work better that way. Not a long book so if you read it you are not making a huge investment in time.
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ISBN

0802124577 / 9780802124579
Page: 0.2737 seconds