„The People of Forever Are Not Afraid“ von Shani Boianjiu (englisch)
rezensiert von Lucia Höfer, 11. Klasse Lichtenbergschule, Darmstadt
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an at present seemingly unsolvable border struggle, that has been going on for more than 50 years. European news mostly focus on negotiations between the two groups and suicide bombers. To grasp an understanding of how the average Israeli person lives with the conflict, I picked up Shani Boianjiu's book "The People of Forever Are Not Afraid". It is a powerful coming-of-age novel that tells the story of three girls, Yael, Avishag and Lea, shortly before, during and after their time in the Israeli Defense Forces. First published in 2012 through Hogarth Press it is also a highly current topic.
The protagonist's life in a small town on the Israeli/Lebanese border revolves mostly around throwing parties and skipping school, where they learn abbreviations of Palestinian weaponry. Everything changes when they get drafted. Yael finds lots of new boyfriends in the army, but sadly they all get killed. Avishag tries to battle the boredom of her monitor shifts by inventing stories for the people on the screen. Lea is unhappy with her checkpoint job and her stupid colleagues, but is shocked when the seemingly harmless immigration worker Fadi turns out to be a murderer.
The second part of the book deals with their life after the service. After hanging around at their parents' and playing pranks on their neighbors, Lea finds her true love in the person of her boss at the sandwich restaurant and Yael travels the world. Avishag, however, falls into depression. In part three they all unite again at the start of the Syrian war, yet the fighting is left to the male soldiers and the girls get to stay at the base and watch TV all day.
Short episodes throughout the book tell of different people from all around the world, whose lives intertwine with the main characters', for example that of an Ethiopian refugee girl, who tries to run across the border. There are also frequent flashbacks.
The violent scenes are not staged in an over-dramatic way, neither are the protagonists' many love affairs. There is much rather an element of black humor present in Boianjiu's work. She writes very clearly, which enables you to read through the book quickly, despite its length of 368 pages. The language is pleasingly honest and misses any kind of pathos. Its metaphors are precise and suffice to create a feeling of reality. Motifs, like "drowning", which figures throughout Avishag's story, are expertly interwoven. Some readers may be put off by the fact, that there is no climax: The story continues as the lives of Yael, Avishag and Lea do, making it credible. You might also need to re-read the novel to understand each girl's story and their relations with various characters.
The author has had a childhood very similar to that of her protagonists and has also spent two years in the Israeli Defense Forces, so she is very familiar with the topic of her work.
For me, "The People of Forever Are Not Afraid" is a great book, because the characters are easy to relate to and it gives you an insight into the lives of young Israelis. To enjoy it, you do not need to be an expert in Near East politics. I would recommend it to any older reader interested in people around the world.
Text von Lucia Höfer, 11. Klasse Lichtenbergschule, Darmstadt
geschrieben am: 7. März 2015 unter der Betreuung von Margit Sachse