Review: One Woman's Fight against political and Religious Sanctions in Israel
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 27, 2014
Author Marianne Azizi writes a stunning memoir dealing with her life, and the problems marrying an Israeli man.llan is estranged from Matty, his wife and mother of his three children. Marianne explores the problems facing her in a commentary on the life and people in Israel where the bulk of the story takes place. According to the author, Israel's form of democracy and ever-changing laws are not what she has been led to believe. This is particularly true in matters of divorce and attempts to leave Israel. As an English woman, Marianne is stunned to discover the decrepancies and deceit in both the courts and in the attitudes of llan's family members, and more so by the intense anger and retallitory machinations of llan's wife. Her descriptive narrative is both fascinating and shocking to read.There are flashbacks to Marianne's past, potraying trauma and assaults upon her so devastating that she contemplates taking her own life. Her strict, Victorian dad had taught her to be resilient, "saving face despite troubles," which helps form her ability for spotting "hidden agendas,lies and self-preservation for life." His lessons serve her well in the following years.Meanwhile the divorce proceedings drag, both by Matty's stalling tactics and unbelievable delays from the High Court, which still refuses them, based on not enough grounds--even in light of Matty's blatant and violent behavior, and llan's children's calls, claiming fear of their mother's aggression toward them. Their first nightmare is when llan is refused entry back to the UK, following a holiday in Israel.The author is positive, from gathering documention and witnessing it herself, that this is "pure Zionism, a design to keep Israeli jews together" at all costs. Oddly, as Israel and Lebanon go to war, this keeps llan, finally back in the UK, from being forced back to his homeland. The downside is the terror and threats to his children's lives from the scuds and bombings. Marianne and llan find that the ceasefire with Lebanon does not extend to Matty, who lives only for revenge. Garnishing their possessions and savings is not enough for her--she wants much more pain and suffering.This book is a well-written account of not just the lives of the people involved, but of the tenacity of one small nation and it's ability to survive, surrounded by neighboring countires obsessed with hatred and terrorism. Israel appears to be as tough with it's own citizens by controlling their choices and dictating their lives through a democracy highly influenced by the Orthodox Jewish religion. It may break llan, but Marianne, like a strong willow tree, merely bends in her determination to free her man.Micki Peluso, author of . . . And the Whippoorwill Sang