Publication Date: September 10, 2024
A young Yemeni Israeli woman learns of her mother’s secret romance in a dramatic journey through lost family stories, revealing the unbreakable bond between a mother and a daughter—the debut novel of an award-winning literary voice.
1950. Thousands of Yemeni Jews have immigrated to the newly founded Israel in search of a better life. In an overcrowded immigrant camp in Rosh Ha’ayin, Yaqub, a shy young man, happens upon Saida, a beautiful girl singing by the river. In the midst of chaos and uncertainty, they fall in love. But they weren’t supposed to; Saida is married and has a child, and a married woman has no place befriending another man.
1995. Thirty-something Zohara, Saida’s daughter, has been living in New York City—a city that feels much less complicated than Israel, where she grew up wishing that her skin was lighter, that her illiterate mother’s Yemeni music was quieter, and that the father who always favored her was alive. She hasn’t looked back since leaving home, rarely in touch with her mother or sister, Lizzie, and missing out on her nephew Yoni’s childhood. But when Lizzie calls to tell her their mother has died, she gets on a plane to Israel with no return ticket.
Soon Zohara finds herself on an unexpected path that leads to shocking truths about her family—including dangers that lurk for impressionable young men and secrets that force her to question everything she thought she knew about her parents, her heritage, and her own future.
Songs for the Brokenhearted by Ayelet Tsabari is a historical novel set in Israel and New York City. The book is set in the 1950s and 1990s and has multiple main characters. The story is told in four parts and is rich with history. The main characters tell their stories in alternating chapters as we see and live life through each of their perspectives.
When Zohara is forced to return home to Israel upon the death of her mother, many surprises are waiting for her. She rekindles some old friendships and makes new ones but is at a crossroads. Dissatisfied with her life in New York and the topic for her dissertation, she doesn’t know what to do with her life moving forward or where to turn.
While cleaning out her mother’s house, she realizes she never knew her mother, and she learns new things about her and her life. Her nephew, Yoni, who was close to his grandmother, is at a loss after her death. We learn of his beliefs and the problems facing Israelis due to government actions. When he mixes with the wrong people at a young age, we see how he has decisions to make, and not all are wise choices. We also learn about Zohara and Lillie’s mother’s life and how little they knew her. Saida broke from tradition in many ways, and she and her friend Yaqub met at the wrong place at the wrong time. But were they even really friends?
There is a depth to all the stories, of which there were many. There are essential supporting characters that add layers to the story. Vivid descriptions, words, and details are important to the locations. There are many unexpected twists and turns that are all sorted out by the end in unexpected ways. Loose ends are tied up in the past and the present especially when the past and present meet. The only thing missing was a glossary, which would have been helpful in understanding the foreign words and expressions used. It was a satisfying read and one from which I learned many things.
Songs for the Brokenhearted is a beautiful title since songs play a vital role in this historical romance that had me savoring each word and relationship. I look forward to reading more books by Ms. Tsabari.
Ayelet Tsabari is the author of The Art of Leaving, finalist for the Writer’s Trust Hilary Weston Prize, winner of the Canadian Jewish Literary Award for memoir, and a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2019. Her first book, The Best Place on Earth, won the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature, was a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice and has been published internationally. She’s the co-editor of the anthology Tongues: On Longing and Belonging Through Language and has taught creative writing at Guelph MFA in Creative Writing and The University of King’s College MFA.
