The Red Balcony: A Novel

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Based on actual events, a gripping novel of sex, love, and justice in the tinderbox of the Middle East in the 1930s, by the acclaimed author of A Palestine Affair "If you want to understand the current Arab-Jewish conflict as well as the ideological division tearing apart Israeli society. . . . The Red Balcony is the place to start." -Los Angeles Times Based on actual events, a gripping novel of sex, love, history and justice in the tinderbox of British Mandatory Palestine, by the acclaimed author of A Palestine Affair "The story of what is arguably Israel's foundational murder trial-a tale of multiple identities and loyalties." -Joshua Cohen, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of The Netanyahus "Pleases on several levels- as an adventure tale, a star-crossed romance and a detailed period piece."-The Wall Street Journal It's 1933, and Ivor Castle, Oxford-educated and Jewish, arrives in Palestine to take up a position as assistant to the defense counsel in the trial of the two men accused of murdering Haim Arlosoroff, a leader of the Jewish community in Palestine whose efforts to get Jews out of Hitler's Germany and into Palestine may have been controversial enough to get him killed. While preparing for the trial, Ivor, an innocent to the politics of the case, falls into bed and deeply in love with Tsiona, a free-spirited artist who happened to sketch the accused men in a Jerusalem cafe on the night of the murder and may be a key witness. As Ivor learns the hard way about the violence simmering just beneath the surface of British colonial rule, Jonathan Wilson dazzles with his mastery of the sun-drenched landscape and the subtleties of the warring agendas among the Jews, Arabs, and British. And as he travels between the crime scene in Tel Aviv and the mazelike streets of Jerusalem, between the mounting mysteries surrounding this notorious case and clandestine lovemaking in Tsiona's studio, Ivor must discover where his heart lies- whether he cares more for the law or the truth, whether he is more an Englishman or a Jew, and where and with whom he truly belongs.

Reviews

The Red Balcony pleases on several levels: as an adventure tale, a star-crossed romance and a detailed period piece. Mr. Wilsons novel is also strong as a legal thriller." Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal

A sizzling tale of murder and high politics, sex and betrayal. . . [The Red Balcony] successfully delves into the conflicting loyalties and identities of Mandate Palestine." Robert Philpot, The Times of Israel

"A seductive historical novel . . . Despite the bright Mediterranean sun, The Red Balcony is essentiallyin structure and in spirita noir . . . Wilsons characters establish the ideological spectrum of 1930s Palestine, with each representing a political position we still find in Israel today . . .The Red Balcony is delightful for bringing the undeniable mystical tinge of that beautiful landscape to life . . . [yet ultimately] Wilson reminds us that the land of Israel has always housed 'multiple clashing dreams.'" Randy Rosenthal, Los Angeles Times

Throughout the novel, Wilson displays a great deal of empathy for his characters. He includes arresting, sometimes shocking imagery, such as a black swastika snapping smartly in the breeze, high above Jerusalemreminding us that this is, after all, 1933. Between its near-painterly descriptions of the verdant Palestinian landscape, and its lively portrayals of Tel Aviv cafes and Jerusalem neighborhoods, Wilsons prose is brimming with historical verisimilitude, intriguing revelations, and immersive detail. The result is one of the most satisfying literary portrayals of the pre-state Yishuv ever written. Ranen Omer-Sherman, Jewish Book Council

"Tensions . . . permeate.Enveloped in the regions oppressive heat and cacophonous politics, [Jonathan Wilson's Ivor] is prey to shifting moods of uncertainty and alienation." New York Times, New Historical Fiction to Read in February

"Jonathan Wilsonsbeautifullypaced Palestinenovel kept me reading through the night.He knows his way intimately around thiscolony-as-crucible, a stony outpost of failing Empire teeming with Jews, Arabs, Brits who can be either and Brits who can be neither, High Commissioners, low criminals, artists, barristers, inspectors, and gendarmes, all of them trying to come to terms with Mandatory rule and the mandates of their own passions, which tend to get heated into history through politics and violence. The Red Balcony extends Wilsons previous novels set in the region, this timethrough the story of what is arguably Israels foundational murder triala tale of multiple identities and loyalties that casts a shadow over the future State even while providing an eye-widening view of its authors bright and fully ripened achievement."
Joshua Cohen,Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of The Netanyahus

Brimming with intrigue and atmosphere, The Red Balcony is a captivating mystery set amid the tensions of British mandate Palestine, where allegiances are always shifting and the shadow of history looms.
Tova Mirvis, author of The Book of Separation

Jonathan Wilson is spectacularly witty and wise, deeply generous and intelligent, and his novel The Red Balcony is extraordinary. Intimate and epic, character-driven and a flat-out page-turner, the book manages to be a work of meticulously investigated historical fiction that never feels weighed down by its research; whats more, it is enviably prescient. In short, this is one of the best books Ive read in yearsI cant stop thinking about it. A gorgeous new novel by one of our very finest writers.
Molly Antopol, author of The UnAmericans

"Morality and passion collide in a sophisticated legal thriller. . . Wilsons smart, fast-paced novel focuses on the months following the assassination of Haim Arlosoroff, gunned down on a Tel Aviv beach in June 1933 after he negotiates a controversial agreement with Hitlers regime that will ease the international boycott against Nazi Germany in exchange for allowing more Jews to flee the country. Wilson maintains the suspense of the trials outcome until his atmospheric storys concluding pages, but theres much more to engage the reader before this mature work reaches its end.
Kirkus Review(starred)

Wilson illuminates life in Palestine under the British Mandate in this engrossing legal drama . . . Vivid atmosphere animates Wilsons story of expatriates, in the manner of Lawrence DurrellsAlexandria Quartetand Malcolm LowrysUnder the Volcano. With a mix of intrigue, romance, and 1930s realpolitik, the author immerses readers in Ivors initial confusion and growing sense of moral clarity. Historical fiction fans are in for a treat.
Publishers Weekly

Author Bio

JONATHAN WILSON is the author of eight previous books, including the novels The Hiding Room (a finalist for the Jewish Quarterly-Wingate Prize) and A Palestine Affair (a New York Times Notable Book and National Jewish Book Award finalist); two short story collections, Schoom and An Ambulance Is on the Way; and the soccer memoir Kick and Run. He lives in Newton, Massachusetts.