The Deadly Promise

PSNA National Chair John Minto was sent this book by the author Gilou Bareau. Here is John’s review.

I read this book over two days and really enjoyed it. It’s a great read both in terms of its storyline and the politics of the Middle East which run through it. Exciting and engaging.

The story centres on a deeply conservative, devout Jewish family in Manchester in the UK. The two eldest children follow the parents’ conservative beliefs and lifestyles with the eldest daughter staying at home to look after her elderly father. The younger two boys however bring shame to the family – Abe Peretz joins the Palestinian human rights struggle while his younger brother Zach becomes a cocaine addict and petty thief.

The book opens at the funeral for Abe after he was killed running onto the road to flee thugs after he has spoken out against Israel at a public meeting.

Zach, who is the main protagonist in the story and is a supporter of Israel, works with Abe’s ex-wife Hepzibah, a Jewish pro-Palestinian journalist who specialises in the Middle East, to track down those responsible for Abe’s death. Sharing Hepzibah’s flat is a young Palestinian woman.

This diverse group of characters drives the story which reads like a thriller as the drama unfolds in London and then in Tel Aviv as they search for answers. Meanwhile Zach tries to kick his cocaine addiction while he has his political views challenged by those around him and undermined by the realities of life for Palestinians.

The deadly promise, from the book’s title, is revealed in the closing pages of the book. I didn’t see it coming…

This is a book where you get immediately immersed with the characters who are all flawed in one way or another but come alive as credible and authentic. You can’t help feeling gripped by the narrative and caring what happens to the characters.

The politics is woven through the story in such a way it doesn’t dominate the book with earnest political dialogue or beat the reader over the head with dogma. However I’d be astonished if anyone finished reading the book without a clear idea of the politics of the Middle East and finding themselves firmly on the side of Palestine.

The book can be bought online or you can order through your local bookstore. The ISBN number is 9780906378175.