The Confessions of Noa Weber

Gail Hareven

Translated by Dalya Bilu

“A very wise book, and it is written in the most beautiful, precise and definitive prose.” —Ha’aretz Literary Supplement

Acclaimed author Noa Weber has a successful “feminist” life: a strong career, a wonderful daughter she raised alone, and she is a recognized and respected cultural figure. Yet her interior life is bound by her obsessive love for one man—Alek, a Russian émigré and the father of her child, who has drifted in and out of her life.

Trying to understand—as well as free herself from—this lifelong obsession, Noa turns her pen on herself, and with relentless honesty dissects her life. Against the evocative setting of turbulent, modernday Israel, this examination becomes a quest to transform irrational desire into a greater, transcendent understanding of love.

The Confessions of Noa Weber introduces a startlingly talented writer in a rich tale that illuminates the desires, yearnings, and complexities of life in Israel.

GAIL HAREVEN is one of Israel’s leading writers; the author of five novels, three story collections, plays, nonfiction, and children’s books; and the winner of the prestigious Sapir Prize for Literature. She teaches writing and feminist theory in Jerusalem. This is her first book translated into English.

“Sometimes one has the experience of reading a book and just falling in love with it—because it is so well written, so moving, it gets into your soul. That was my experience when I read The Confessions of Noa Weber.” —Ha’aretz

“This contemplative inquiry into the nature of love speaks across cultures and introduces a compelling new Israeli voice to English-speaking readers.” —Publishers Weekly

An interview with Gail Hareven: ”The Israeli author on Totalitarianism, Feminism and Her New Novel” —Forward

”…witty and compelling [it] will leave American readers…pining for more.” —Jessa Crispin, NPR Books We Like

”[A] compelling account of obsessive love.” —Complete Review

—Read a short story by Gail Hareven in The New Yorker

”…an original lovestory, as told by a fresh, provacative character.” —Hebrew Book Week, Ha’aretz

”…unapologetic” —Jewish Book World

”For me, writing a novel is a kind of journey into the unknown….”

—Read a feature on author Gail Hareven, The Jewish Week

”…cool, graceful prose.” —Abigail Pickus, Lilith