An Israeli Novel Delves into Revenge, Child Abuse, and the Memory of the Holocaust

Elinor, the protagonist and narrator of Gail Hareven’s newly translated novel, Lies: First Person, leads a quiet life in Jerusalem, keeping the memory of her unhappy childhood and neglectful parents at a safe distance. Her tranquility is shattered when of a male relative who brutally abused her sister resurfaces. Much of what makes the novel compelling, writes Adam Kirsch, is that the abuser, Aaron Gotthilf, is also a controversial writer: