UNTIL THE WALLS COME DOWN

After an Israeli Jew in Jaffa loses her parents to a terrorist attack in 2022, she tries to save their house, her childhood home, from demolition.

Tammar Azar is heartbroken to learn that her parents, Yossi and Khava, were killed in a terrorist attack. The sad news fails to bring her warring brothers, Barak and Daniel, together, and the nature of their death only amplifies Barak’s contempt for Ali, Tammar’s husband, who is Palestinian and Muslim. Two-months pregnant, Tammar begins to hunt down the paperwork necessary to sell her childhood home and discovers that her parents never officially registered it since it previously belonged to a Palestinian family. Even more remarkable, that family is none other than Ali’s, who emigrated to Israel in 1947, a secret he kept from his wife. In this poignant, emotional drama by author Podjarny, Tammar begins to forge an intimate connection to the house and decides she wants to keep it, but the obstacles are considerable. First, Ali’s father, Muhammad, is loath to give his consent: “What I want is to have my home back. I want to live here, in this house, where I would have been born if it weren’t for the Jews and their colonialism. I want to be treated like I’m a human being, not some burden you have to deal with.” Moreover, the city sends Tammar an eviction notice, informing her that the property will be demolished. Podjarny’s involving, layered tale tackles personal, racial, and political themes. Still, it’s never overcomplicated, nor is there drop of saccharine sentimentality here, only authentic emotion conveyed by a cast of fully developed characters. The result is a deeply affecting tale that will haunt one long after it’s read.

An affecting, thoughtful family drama crackling with energy.