I picked this book off the shelf in the library in the lodge of the family resort in Lovell, Maine where we spent a wonderful week with our daughters and their families.  I’d heard of Krauss’s previous book, ‘The Great House’ which was a finalist for the National Book Award so was drawn to this later book of hers.

Not a great decision since I found the book ultimately unsatisfying, probably due to its metafiction treatment of time, person, and place. The book is blurbed in the most praising language by some of my favorites including Philip Roth, Emily St. John  Mandel, and numerous publications including the New York Review of Books, but I just didn’t get it.

The novel is the story of two people, Jules Epstein a 68 year old successful lawyer, and Nicole, a 30-something year old successful novelist.  Each of them has a failed marriage, children, and successful careers behind them when they find themselves in Israel at the same time searching for meaning and direction.  Krauss follows their journeys of self-discovery, one of which involves donating $2million to plant a forest in the desert into which Epstein finally disappears never to be found. The woman writer’s journey similarly involves the Israeli desert, Franz Kafka, and the IDF.

I was enticed into the book by its first sentence: “At the time of his disappearance, Epstein had been living in Tel Aviv for three months.” but I shouldn’t have let the reference to my surname lead me to read the book.  Not recommended.