Pre-Owned Real Time

Publishers Weekly,In this timely novel set in Israel, Kass (Tommy's New Bed) explores the effects of a terrorist act from multiple points of view. Her cast of characters includes the members of Kibbutz Broshim: head gardener Baruch Ben Tov, who is trying to erase the nightmare of the Holocaust from his memory, and Vera Brodsky, who came to the kibbutz to escape her parents' broken marriage and her boyfriend's suicide. Then there is newcomer Thomas Wanninger, a German 16-year-old who wants to "know the truth" about his grandfather, a WWII Nazi officer. The author also (less thoroughly) expresses the sentiments of Sameh Laham, also 16, an angry Palestinian, whose mission to blow up a bus of Israelis takes an unexpected turn when Sameh ends up a survivor instead of a "true martyr." The author strives to remain objective, introducing both Israeli and Palestinian figures and reporting details about the explosion's aftermath through segments of news broadcasts. Yet her underlying message remains strongly political (pro Israeli) and less than hopeful. Readers may well empathize with Vera and Thomas, two victims of the explosion, but they will gain little insight into the cause of Israeli/Palestinian conflicts. With its graphic portrayal of violence and dark ironies, this novel is best suited for mature readers well-versed in Middle Eastern politics. Ages 12-up. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved