The Red Balcony

Reviews

“The Red Balcony pleases on several levels: as an adventure tale, a star-crossed romance and a detailed period piece. Mr. Wilson’s novel is also strong as a legal thriller." —Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal

“A sizzling tale of murder and high politics, sex and betrayal . . . [The Red Balcony] successfully delves into the conflicting loyalties and identities of Mandate Palestine." —Robert Philpot, The Times of Israel

"A seductive historical novel . . . Despite the bright Mediterranean sun, The Red Balcony is essentially—in structure and in spirit—a noir . . . Wilson’s characters establish the ideological spectrum of 1930s Palestine, with each representing a political position we still find in Israel today . . .The Red Balcony is delightful for bringing the undeniable mystical tinge of that beautiful landscape to life . . . [yet ultimately] Wilson reminds us that the land of Israel has always housed 'multiple clashing dreams.'" —Randy Rosenthal, Los Angeles Times

“Throughout the novel, Wilson displays a great deal of empathy for his characters. He includes arresting, sometimes shocking imagery, such as a black swastika snapping smartly in the breeze, high above Jerusalem—reminding us that this is, after all, 1933. Between its near-painterly descriptions of the verdant Palestinian landscape, and its lively portrayals of Tel Aviv cafes and Jerusalem neighborhoods, Wilson’s prose is brimming with historical verisimilitude, intriguing revelations, and immersive detail. The result is one of the most satisfying literary portrayals of the pre-state Yishuv ever written.” —Ranen Omer-Sher­man, Jewish Book Council

"Tensions . . . permeate. Enveloped in the region’s oppressive heat and cacophonous politics, [Jonathan Wilson's Ivor] is prey to shifting moods of uncertainty and alienation." —New York Times, “New Historical Fiction to Read in February”

"Jonathan Wilson’s beautifully paced Palestine novel kept me reading through the night. He knows his way intimately around this colony-as-crucible, a stony outpost of failing Empire teeming with Jews, Arabs, Brits who can be either and Brits who can be neither, High Commissioners, low criminals, artists, barristers, inspectors, and gendarmes, all of them trying to come to terms with Mandatory rule and the mandates of their own passions, which tend to get heated into history through politics and violence. The Red Balcony extends Wilson’s previous novels set in the region, this time through the story of what is arguably Israel’s foundational murder trial—a tale of multiple identities and loyalties that casts a shadow over the future State even while providing an eye-widening view of its author’s bright and fully ripened achievement."
—Joshua Cohen, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of The Netanyahus

“Brimming with intrigue and atmosphere, The Red Balcony is a captivating mystery set amid the tensions of British mandate Palestine, where allegiances are always shifting and the shadow of history looms.”
—Tova Mirvis, author of The Book of Separation

“Jonathan Wilson is spectacularly witty and wise, deeply generous and intelligent, and his novel The Red Balcony is extraordinary. Intimate and epic, character-driven and a flat-out page-turner, the book manages to be a work of meticulously investigated historical fiction that never feels weighed down by its research; what’s more, it is enviably prescient. In short, this is one of the best books I’ve read in years—I can’t stop thinking about it. A gorgeous new novel by one of our very finest writers.”
—Molly Antopol, author of The UnAmericans

"Morality and passion collide in a sophisticated legal thriller. . . Wilson’s smart, fast-paced novel focuses on the months following the assassination of Haim Arlosoroff, gunned down on a Tel Aviv beach in June 1933 after he negotiates a controversial agreement with Hitler’s regime that will ease the international boycott against Nazi Germany in exchange for allowing more Jews to flee the country. Wilson maintains the suspense of the trial’s outcome until his atmospheric story’s concluding pages, but there’s much more to engage the reader before this mature work reaches its end.” 
—Kirkus Review (starred)

“Wilson illuminates life in Palestine under the British Mandate in this engrossing legal drama . . . Vivid atmosphere animates Wilson’s story of expatriates, in the manner of Lawrence Durrell’s Alexandria Quartet and Malcolm Lowry’s Under the Volcano. With a mix of intrigue, romance, and 1930s realpolitik, the author immerses readers in Ivor’s initial confusion and growing sense of moral clarity. Historical fiction fans are in for a treat.”
—Publishers Weekly Expand reviews