Apeirogon is primarily about Bassan (Palestinian) whose daughter, Abir, was killed by a rubber bullet. It’s also about Rami (Israeli) and his daughter, Smadar, who was killed in a suicide bombing. It’s how both men suffered their daughters’ deaths and how both men ultimately came together. As well, it’s about injustices in both men’s countries.

The writing style did not make for an enjoyable read. The author inserts a plethora of random facts in full paragraphs throughout the book. Sometimes he segues from one to another; sometimes these paragraphs jump from fact to unrelated fact leaving a huge disconnect. Just as aggravating were the uncountable paragraphs about birds.

Another writing technique that became annoying for me was a statement followed by several two or three-word staccato phases to support that statement. One example is “… but he and Salwa loved it …” is followed by 56 – or was it 51, I lost count – such supporting phrases. Yes, annoying.

I probably should rate this book higher since it is very clearly a result of intense writing. Alas, I did not really enjoy it. It became a tedious read. I probably missed the real message because I was bogged down in minutia.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is such a tough book for me to review! On paper it is exactly the type of novel I devour, and it is absolutely beautifully written, but there were times when my mind drifted off, and as much as I wanted to push myself to pick it back up again it was sometimes a struggle. I am glad I did though, because Apeirogon: A Novel is a very special book.

An apeirogon is a shape with a countable infinite number of sides, and this novel is exactly that: a story within a bigger story within a bigger story, a collection of stories woven together into one. A story with infinite sides.

The author weaves many stories together, all based on true events and/or true stories. The book is divided into many very short vignettes and don’t really follow a specific timeline - there will be a few words on bird migration paths over Israel and Palestine, and then a narration of Mitterand’s last meal, followed by information on how one of the main characters, Rami, navigates the no mans land roads on his motorbike, and so on. The main thread of the novel revolves around Rami Elhanan and Bassam Aramin. They are real people, and what they live through is real, born on different sides of a border that was arbitrarily decided and moved, but brought together by the loss of a child, losses created by this conflict that never ends. Rami’s daughter Smadar was killed by suicide bombers in Jerusalem, Basser’s daughter, Abir, is killed by an Israeli soldier who shot a rubber bullet into the back of her head in the West Bank. Both men are part of the peace group Combatants for Peace. Both men use their experience to fight for an end to the ongoing hatred and death.

As much as I was pulled to continue reading, and to finish the novel, and as much as the stories made my heart break (both because of how heartbreaking they are and because of my own experience living in Israel during the second Intifada), I still had trouble getting through the book. It is a colossal piece of work, a beautiful patchwork of a book, but sometimes I found my mind wavering elsewhere, and there were times when I just wanted to put it down and read something else. I think that maybe this is because of the way the book was written, because while everything comes together, it often feels like you are pulled in so many directions that you can never pin one down long enough to explore it completely.

So this one was really hard for me to rate! I can’t rate lower than four stars because of how complex and interesting and important the story is. I think I may have found it easier to read in print rather than as an ebook, as there are fewer distractions that way. That said, I highly recommend this book to everyone, as it’s such an interesting conceptual novel, and an important collection of history and current events that help explain parts of the conflict that we don’t often hear about in regular news.

I do feel that this book should come with a trigger warning though. There are very detailed and graphic descriptions of violent deaths, of what ZAKA do after a terrorist attack in Israel, etc, and while I personally think it’s important for everyone to understand these things, if you have lived in Israel/Palestine (or another country in conflict) and have witnessed anything like this it may not be for you. You never forget the sound of a bomb being detonated, nor the sounds of sirens that follow.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The story of Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan and their daughters, Abir and Smadar, is an important one to be told. There have been articles written about them and speaking engagements given by the two men, but in this novelization Colum McCann goes deeper into the struggles of two fathers left mourning their young daughters who are determined to prevent these tragedies from happening again. And again. And again.

I’m unfamiliar with McCann’s writing style, but I can appreciate what he’s chosen to do with this work. Maybe it’s different than what he normally does, I wouldn’t know. While it worked for me at first, I found myself drifting away between passages because they were just so disjointed. I wanted to read this, but I had to drag myself back to the words on the page multiple times after wandering away. I’d say for that reason it’s probably not super ADHD-friendly.

Of the two of them, I think Rami may be easier for ‘Western’ audiences to relate to. He was like every person who has the privilege of divorcing themselves from the political implications of the world. The problem with having an epiphany only after something affects you directly is that you have to wait for it to absolutely devastate your life before you understand that you were dangling precariously the entire time. You become awakened to that reality only after it’s too late to do anything about it. Prior to this you had convinced yourself that not only was it never going to happen to you or anyone you care about, but that anyone who does kick up a ruckus over such ‘divisive’ issues is a hysterical, partisan outrage-artist who can’t have any actual grievances in a world that’s been so good to you. Both nihilism and nonchalance are two sides of the same coin—indifference.

Bassam, on the other hand, lived a life I could hardly imagine. He has been occupied his entire life, was brutally punished as a teenager and young adult, but came out of his seven year internment already wanting peace, not vengeance. Losing his daughter may have been a major catalyst for him, but it wasn’t the ultimate turning point. That said, both he and Rami’s message is stronger together than separately. It’s not often we get to see the same conflict discussed so completely from both points of view.

Some people had strong reactions to the explicit depiction and aftermath of violence in the book. McCann relays the information very clinically and probably a little too in-depth. It comes off somewhat cold and removed, missing the compassion he has when talking about Rami and Bassam. Also, some of the hundreds of passages are used to weave in facts about various species of birds, as a metaphor or symbol. While some are interesting, I didn’t enjoy the detail that was used to describe capturing, torturing and killing the birds that were destined to be eaten.

I understand why so many are raving about this novel. It’s an important subject and features real-life figures in the Israeli/Palestinian peace movement. After finishing it, though, I think I would have been fine just reading an article written about the two girls and their respective families.

First 5 star read of 2020!

Perhaps not perfect, but certainly brilliant, thought provoking, emotionally charged and timely.

Apeirogon is not a linear narrative. Told in 1000 short segments, it tells the story of two men who have lost daughters to violence — one is Israeli and the other one in Palestinian. This is based on a true story. Rami and Bassam are joined together in their grief and through the united project of finding a road to peace. The fragments of McCann’s brilliant narrative go back and forth in time, zeroing in on different parts of these characters’ lives and families, weaving in scraps of history, politics and nature and seemingly random anecdotes and thoughts.

I can’t really do justice to the power of this book through my review. As I read some parts — especially those dealing with Rami and Bassam’s grief and their paths forward — I found myself holding my breath in awe.

What was not perfect? At times, I found myself losing focus — this is a long book with many tangents. But this is a minor flaw.

This won’t be for everyone. It’s not a straightforward narrative and it’s infused with a political message. But it really turned my crank.

I think I’ve given a five star rating to every one of McCann’s books I’ve read. He takes huge chances with big payoffs. He writes like an angel — deceptive simplicity.

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

There will be a lot of attention for this novel, and rightfully so. It tackles a mighty question with heart and intellect, and offers a persuasive bit undoubtedly controversial opinion. As fiction, it’s extremely self conscious in form, sometimes powerfully so, sometimes irritating. The title expresses the author’s wish to bring a kind of infinite refraction to the subject of Israeli and Palestinian terrorism. In doing so he invokes science, literature, maths, biology, history and so much more. There are lists of things. There’s an ascending and descending number of chapters. There are anecdotes and vignettes. And in amongst all that is a heartbreaking story, the parallel deaths of two beloved daughters, and how the fathers respond. It’s a lot. Often it works. Sometimes it just tips over into formality.

*I received an advance copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*

Sometimes you open a book, and at first you don't feel like you 'get' it. But there's a nagging feeling that you really should continue. And it becomes one of the books you think everyone should read in your life.

Aperiogon is a complex read. It requires a lot of background knowledge regarding the conflict in Palestine. I learned a LOT through reading this book and through searching the internet for context. It was absolutely worth that kind of effort though.

McCann's storytelling is nonlinear, and the breaks in story remind me of footnotes books (House of Leaves, An Abundance of Katherines, Crazy Rich Asians). I thought perhaps I might prefer the footnotes style, but as I read further, the format grew on me. It was often a welcome break in some of the grief.

Speaking of grief, wow, can McCann write about heartbreak from so many characters in such a diverse fashion. Rami and Bassam's lectures were so similar (the grief of a parent is deep and unique and still universal, especially within the context surrounding Smadar and Abir's deaths) but still heartbreaking in their own rights.

This book is important. It's timely. It's humanizing. And I will be recommending it to everyone I know.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group for an opportunity to preview this book.

How do you tell the graphic story of not only the personal trauma of loss but loss intertwined with the impact of profound historical trauma without burdening the reader? The author has managed to do so brilliantly through stream of conscious consisting of dry facts, stories, shifting time and perspective and manages to gift the reader with the ability to digest information that may be too brutal and graphic otherwise without taming or sugar-coating the intensity of each story. The graphic details are important to those who have lived the relentless trauma. The details that the mind cannot erase are the raw reality that result from conflict. But no matter how the author attempts to desensitize the reader, he plummets them right back into the story sparing no details as though he is replaying the mantra, “you will not close your eyes to this. You will not be desensitized.” . No matter what else is being said, or what other stories are being told, the author always returns to the deaths of Smadar and Abir because they are stories that should not get lost in the business as usual violence and tension between two countries long divided.
“Two of the Zaka came back on their scooters the next morning to pick up a single eyeball that had been missed. A long string of optic nerve still attached to the pupil”
And then immediately following this passage
“The workings of the human eye are still considered by scientists to be as profoundly mysterious as the intricacies of migratory flight”
So many themes run throughout this piece of art. Anger, Humanity, Freedom Grief/loss, Bridging Divides, Courage, Power, Peace, Love, Hope, Faith, Connection, Justice, Revenge, Disconnection , Fear, and America as the not so innocent violent bystander who feeds its own power/control by fueling it with ammunition.
And at the end of it all I'm not sure that I *enjoyed* reading this novel although I zipped through it in just 3 days and couldn't stop reading. I normally don’t enjoy this type of writing style yet I was drawn in from the very first page. Despite it taking the entire novel to slowly reveal the details from two events that happened within a matter of seconds, the author respectfully illustrated how an event that may be quick to an observer repeats and replays and unfolds slowly for those who are impacted.This story is laden with gems and so many layers that I suspect if I were to reread it again I would write a whole different review.

"Once, long ago, these roads were so much easier to travel. Even in bad times. No by passes, no permits, no walls, no unapproved paths, no sudden barricades...Now it is a tangle of asphalt, concrete, light pole. Walls. Roadblocks. Barricades. Gates. Strobe lights. Motion activation. Electronic locks." In the hills of Beit Jala, an unmarked blimp with computers and infrared cameras identifies every vehicle's license plate: Israeli-yellow plate. Palestinian-green plate.

"The shopkeeper heard the pop". "A child on the pavement." Abir Aramin, 10 years old, was hit by a rubber bullet after purchasing a candy bracelet. The border guard firing the bullet was 18 years old. "...traffic had been blocked by the soldiers at the far end of the road. Nothing was being allowed through: no ambulances, no police, no paramedics." "Two hours later, the ambulance carrying Abir was still stalled near the checkpoint."

Smadar Elhanan, age 13, died at the hands of a suicide bomber. Smadar was "a firecracker...she danced on the table...cartwheeled in the garden." She had been out shopping for school books. Smadar's father,"Rami often felt that there were nine or ten Israelis inside him, fighting. The conflicted one. The shamed one...the bereaved one. The one who marvelled at the [surveillance] blimp's invention. The one sick and tired of all the seeing...".

Abir Aramin's father Bassam, had been imprisoned in Hebron as a teenager. During his 7 year imprisonment, Hertzl, a kindly Israeli prison guard, threw himself over Bassam to prevent one of Bassam's frequent beatings. Under the prison's Open University System, Bassam took classes in Hebrew. "Know your enemy, know yourself". "It slowly dawned on Bassam that the only thing they had in common was that both sides had once wanted to kill people they did not know...". In 2005, he co-founded Combatants for Peace.

Bassam Aramin, a Palestinian and Rami Elhanan, an Israeli, met at a meeting of Combatants for Peace. Rami thought of war as a sort of "awful artwork: the stretchers went in white and came out red." " [Bassam] no longer wanted to fight...Language was the sharpest weapon...He wanted to wield it." "Soon they were meeting virtually every single day. More than their jobs, this became their jobs: to tell the story of what happened to their girls."

The power of "Apeirogon: A Novel" by Colum McCann lies in the tome's unique style of prose. Presented in 1001 numbered segments, varying in length from one sentence to several pages, author McCann alternates between time periods and interconnects stories that include the toll of the Holocaust, the use of weaponry such as rubber bullets and coffin tanks, and the use of cardboard blowguns as a means of communication from prison. The grief experienced on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is sensitively handled. This work of fiction is based upon two real crusaders for Mid-East peace, Rami Elhanan and Bassam Aramin. Highly recommended!

Thank you Random House Publishing Group-Random House and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Apeirogon".

Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC. This is a difficult book about the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Two fathers' daughters become victims of senseless aggression and the fathers unite in the grief for their children. Much of the book is just short paragraphs of thoughts and parallels, almost like they are the notes for the book. The most powerful parts were Rami's and Bassam's speeches.: " No matter how many Arabs/Jews we kill, it will not bring back anybody's daughter. "

Not sure yet how to frame my thoughts - but I honestly almost stopped reading completely at 13%!
Until then - I was reading this book diligently- closely - learning and FASCINATED about the migration of birds.
But then... that 13% period came. I actually felt PHYSICALLY SICK with bile in my throat. I thought I ‘was’ going to vomit. - my body reacted THAT much....

Not sure how to rate it - 5 stars in parts
3 stars in other parts ...


I’m left thinking there ARE some books best NOT read - books DEFINITELY NOT HEALTHY for some readers.
I didn’t need this story to know how FUCKING PAINFUL WAR HAS BEEN BETWEEN TWO NATIONS..

I was in Israel during the Yom Kippur War. I lived in a bomb shelter for past of it.

I have CLOSE FAMILY MEMBERS ( crazy Americans who immigrated to Israel at a time when the CITIES were at HIGH TIME DANGEROUS- when Jewish temples all over America were pulling their travel plans for the Bar and Bat Mitzvah kids - not letting them travel to their beloved country)...
Yep - I worried sick for a couple of years - for the safety of my cousins - permanently choosing to live Israel.

But...I didn’t want or need to read about ZAKA!!!
Really? Did I need to read about those GHASTLY DETAILS??? - I already knew what ZAKA does?

ZAKA — is a team of people who collect body parts for burial.
They assembled the corpses bagged them in plastic - and handed them over to the Israeli police. Isn’t that enough
information? I can figure out myself that it’s bloody - and AWFUL....
AND....
“They were meticulous. Rigorous. Precise. Special care was taken not to mix the blood of victims and the bombers”.
THIS PART IS HEARTFELT- and wonderful - and I THANK THESE PEOPLE FOR THEIR WORK....
but why McCann felt it necessary to go ‘further’ into graphics about a civilian finding an eyeball .. MY GOD.......
I angrily wanted to toss my book to the wall ( but I didn’t feel like breaking my kindle, ether).. so I suppressed my aggression.

For me..... it would’ve been enough for me to know more about the two previous little girls who are killed - One from Israel- one from Palestine —
and learn how their fathers came together -
and learning about the migration- was literally and figuratively was brilliant— but parts were unnecessary and too graphic for my well being.


The acknowledgment page was very moving and important to me...though....
It wasn’t only Colum McCann’s talent - I thought about - or this story - with scenes I wished I ‘hadn’t’ read - but I sat thinking about the MANY people -from whom McCann could never acknowledged or thank enough.
The unsung heroes - community of ‘people’ who contributed facts, and inspiration to McCann are people I’d like to light a candle too.

I guess I’ll give this book 4 stars ... but I need a few days to recover. It was THAT DISTURBING for me.

So — who doesn’t need this book? - people who like know war first hand. People like myself who lived in Israel during a war .
There are reasons that some things are best not talked about to the masses.

Courtesy of NetGalley, I received the ARC of Apeirogon by Colum McCann. This unique novel relates the true story of two young girls killed in Jerusalem, one Arabic and one Jewish. Focusing on the impact on their families, specifically the reactions of their fathers, McCann braids together many historical and current facets to present this important narrative.

Colum McCann's genius begins with using "Apeirogon" as his metaphorical object, a shape that is visible from an infinite number of sides. Using this device helped me navigate through this novel about two men, Bassam Araminan, a Palestinian, and Rami Elhanan, an Israeli. They both lost very young daughters through senseless violence.

Bassam and Rami meet in a parental peace group and become close friends over the years. The substance of the book shook me to the core. Families destroyed on both sides of the conflict (war) try to move forward in their lives for each other and their families. I cannot fathom how they survive.

CMC brings in all sorts of historical facts and stories to his novel. For me, the explanations of migratory birds who, yearly, arrive in the area in the course of going south or east/west struck a chord. The freedom the flocks of birds enjoyed is my simple way of looking at nature and how it can be superior to human civilization. The birds have no checkpoints or barbed wire to prevent them from traveling, nesting, eating wherever they wish. The simplicity of nature compared to the so-called civilization is heartbreaking, as was the story of the people living in Palestine and Israel.

Be sure to read this excellent novel. It is my favorite of 2019. Thank you to the author, Random House, and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC to read and respond to (Feb.25).

Another thoughtful topical book from Colin McCann author of Let The Great World Spin. This is the true story of a friendship between two fathers - a Palestinian and Israeli in Israel - who both had lost young daughters to the conflict between their nations - one to a suicide bomber - and one shot “accidentally” with a rubber bullet by a soldier. McCann uses the structure of The 1001 Nights and divides the book into 1001 sections. He explores the stories of the two girls - their fathers Rami and Bassam who meet in a group for parents who have lost their children to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. It’s is extremely moving yet not sentimental. Clear-eyes. And nobody is safe. There are chapters about their personal histories and families- about history - geography of the region - mythological- colonial stories - religion - the future the past and the ever present. In the end it is a multifaceted and infinitely sided mathematical figure (which is what the title means- infinite sided). The book is historical fiction though most of the narrative is based on truth - and I learned a lot. My only criticism is that there is no real tension in the narrative as you know everything at the beginning. But much depth is developed in looking at this story from the many sides - The relationship between the two fathers is hardly facile and deeply moving enrichened with meaningful detail. There is no black or white, right or wrong in this story - we are all innocent - we are all culpable. There are so many nuances in the characters - they are not 100% heroic - but extremely human. It is obvious that there are no winners in this conflict. Ita hard to describe this book - there is no other like it and so deeply felt. I received a copy of this book from @netgalley - also thank you to publisher #RandomHouse #ApeirogonANovel #NetGalley

"I will tell it until the day I die, and it will never change, but it will keep on putting a tiny crack in the wall until the day I die."

Column McCann is an incredible writer. This book has a format that will appeal to some and put off others. It worked for me. The book is the story of two men, one Palestinian and one Israeli, who both have lost daughters. They come together to help spread peace.

"I tried to hide it from my fellow prisoners but something in me changed—or maybe it hadn’t, but something was coming from a new direction, maybe I had just found something that was there all along."

The book travels back and forth in time, in and out of fiction and non fiction, it stops in the middle of a scene and then picks it up pages later. It repeats bits and pieces. It has not just a purpose and a story but also a rhythm.

"Sometimes it feels like we’re trying to draw water from the ocean with a spoon, but peace is a fact."

And it breaks every little part of your heart. It shows how awful we humans can be. It shows how awful we humans are. How we treat each other. In many parts, I was reminded of the Brene Brown quote about how we try to make people "other" and "not human" so we can hate them or hurt them and how when we get to know them as fellow humans, it becomes so much harder to write them off, to harm them.

"We need to learn how to share this land, otherwise we will be sharing it in our graves."

I had never heard of the story of Rami and Bassam. It was eye opening, heartening and of course completely heartbreaking. I do not wish this type of loss on my worst enemy and I have unbounded respect for their ability to take such profound loss and turn it into an opportunity to broker peace. To still be able to love and not let the hate take over.

"Bassam clicks his tongue and half-smiles. A familiar and hopeless gesture: they can travel together anywhere in the world, but not these few miles."

The day to day lives of people living in the West Bank are shared in detail in this story. Once you read it, it becomes impossible to un-know it. It becomes impossible to not let it get to you.

"The only interesting thing is to live."

Everything about this book worked for me. I was blown away by it. By all the facts. By all the back and forth. By the terrible tragedies. By the senseless deaths. By the tireless fight for peace. By the incredible writing of Colum McCann.

With gratitude to netgalley and Random House for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful tale and so well written. I do believe this is his best work yet and expect awards to follow. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

Incredible. I have been and continue to be a huge fan of McCann's work. This is by far my favorite novel he has ever written. I can't wait for everyone to read it and to discuss it.

I haven't finished this one yet and mistakenly clicked on it instead of another book I meant to review. I will be back to update my review for this one

Swirling around the story of two men, one Israeli, one Palestinian, both grieving the death of daughters as part of the conflict, Colum McCann uses the image of a figure with “countably infinite sides” in this novel.

He divides the story into 1,001 shards of memory, history and observation, with a nod toward the Arabian Nights. It is powerful and engrossing, a worthy successor to Let the Great World Spin.

APEIROGON
BY COLUM McCANN

Apeirogon is a shape with infinite sides and angles to it. Thus is the endless conflict that takes place between Israel and Palestine for as long as I can remember. In this stunning story that is both multifaceted drawn from both fiction and facts comes an unlikely friendship between two friends from opposite countries rooted together drawn by love, unimaginable loss and the desire to spread their commonalities as often as they can to try to spread peace wherever they can. For these two men who live day to day being told what roads they can drive on, who must navigate checkpoints and drive with color codes license plates that are monitored by the huge blimps in the sky: are united by the most staggering losses and heartbreak that a parent will ever face. They don't dwell in resentment or crippling hatred but instead share common ground by sharing their stories in whatever venues they can to tell about their two beloved daughters in an effort to bring peace to a senseless world sometimes.. Certainly these two friends live in uncertain worlds. Their two lives will never again be quiet and peaceful. Ever!

Bassam Aramin is of Palestine descent and lost his ten year old daughter, Abir when she was shot in the back of the head and killed by a rubber bullet while she had just been outside of a store buying candy. Rami Elhanen of Israel lost his beautiful, sparkling daughter, Smadar after school while she was out buying books in broad daylight by a suicide bomber who blew up eight people including lovely Smadar. Smadar was just thirteen years old and her name was meant to mean grape from the vine. Both men and their families are forever united in grief and yet for as much as they tell their stories describing their daughter's they are both extending an olive branch to anyone who will listen and just maybe internalize and with always the hope that they can save others from having that ugly, crooked finger of fate pointed at some other family. There is much beauty and hope to be gained from these two men whose lives intersect by tragedy. But for these two men they refuse to let their heartbreak continue to define them. Although this is a novel, the transcripts taken from both Bassam and about Abir and Rami about Smadar are factual.

Thank you to Net Galley. Colum McCann and the publisher for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

"I think it is our job, as writers, to be epic. Epic and tiny at the same time. If you're going to be a fiction writer, why not take on something that means something. In doing this, you must understand that within that epic structure it is the tiny story that is possibly more important." So said Colum McCann in an interview, and so has he done once again with Apeirogon: A Novel. What could be more epic and meaningful than the roiling relationship story of Israel and Palestine? Mc Cann tells the tiny story of 2 fathers connected by tragedy and inspired by hope. He tells it sensitively and believably with a pinch of hope.