Oamenii Eternitatii Nu Se Tem Niciodata (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
This is the story of three young women from a small northern town in Israel. The story follows them from the end of high school, through their army service and into the beginning of their young adult life. I wanted to love this book but, unfortunately, that just didn’t happen. When I look back on my own time serving as an 18-20 year old young female in the Israeli military, I can identify what a unique cultural experience it was, and how much of it was really funny, absurdist, interesting and/or poignant. How one day you are a high school kid, forced to follow a prescribed routine and treated like a child, and the next day you are an adult, and forced to relinquish your will and your right to make choices (if you ever had any during high school) and accept more than the full burden of adult responsibility. That’s what I wanted to read about. I didn’t care if it was funny, serious or otherwise, but it’s hard to write about an experience like being a female soldier in the Israeli army – especially in English – and NOT to offer some kind of new insight. Because so little has been written from this perspective and so few people have experienced it, how can you write about it in a realistic way and not contribute something new? And that’s where this book fell flat for me.There were parts that seemed to be building up to a big revelation. There were elements that were definitely realistic and rang true… many such elements… but there was also so much missing and so much extraneous that the book was just a big mess at the end. My army service, and that of most women that I know, was by and large mundane. And that, in itself, was an absurdity that I would have liked to read about but was utterly lacking from this book. Also, the three protagonists are a complete jumble in my head and there was no larger overarching message that I came away with… nothing. I kept waiting for it to tie together or make some sort of a larger statement, and there was just fuckall. But the main thing that bothered me about this book was that the three main characters were not at all representative of real people that I know, so their experiences were largely unrecognizable. They all had serious emotional issues. The chapter where the women were older and were trapped on the base by young male soldiers was bizarre and disgusting and so unrelated to anything realistic, it was actually annoying to read. The book was only so long and there were only so many topics that could be covered, why waste your audience’s attention on some bizarre filler that left an icky feeling? I have a feeling that that chapter was written last minute with the editor breathing down the author’s neck.This book was interesting and well written overall, but I actually can’t believe that this author won top 5 under 35 and whatever other awards she won. Granted, this was a much better effort than anything that I could ever pull together, but it just felt really young, under-formed and immature. Boianjiu definitely has some talent but I think I’ll enjoy her 5th or 10th novel much more than this one. Also, the language bothered me a lot. I often felt like I was reading a direct translation of Hebrew to English. Especially at the beginning of the book, the grammar was technically correct, but somehow the sentences were all too short and simple and it was hard to imagine a native English speaker – from anywhere – actually using the language in that way. Shani Boianjiu’s outstanding debut novel entrances you with its vision and understanding of modern war. The central story chronicles the lives of three teenage Israeli girls—Yael, Avishag, and Lea—all of them seniors in high school and soon to be conscripted into the army. Brilliantly paced and structured, the novel allows for each of the girl’s distinctive perspectives to emerge. Oftentimes transitioning between the visceral and the surreal, the layering of stories within stories and the interconnectedness among characters over time, place, and events make for an exhilarating narrative that stuns and shocks with the unveiling of each of the girls’ experiences. Boianjiu addresses the fear and uncertainty of the girls and relates how their teetering despair fuels rebellion against their confusion and loneliness. As challenges surface throughout their two years of military service and beyond, their need to feel alive and meaningful in the world becomes obsessive. This need simmers with urgency and gathers into a searing force to confront the outrage of injustice and inhumanity and to achieve the desire to be independent. The People of Forever Are Not Afraid is a stellar literary work, full of energy, aplomb, and humor. It is fierce, enthralling, eye-opening, and ultimately life-affirming as it charts the lives of the three girls on the cusp of womanhood and a future for themselves yearning for direction.
What do You think about Oamenii Eternitatii Nu Se Tem Niciodata (2012)?
Felt too disjointed and desensitized. A few searing images, but ultimately too emotionally distant.
—Amena
Very good. Very. Almost great, but bit sloppy at places. Particularly toward the end.
—Ruhiii0907
Very different than anything I've read in a long time. Couldn't put it down.
—Yazmin
