Textile

The renowned Israeli author “once again captures the culture of modern-day Israel with provocative deadpan humor” in a novel of wealth, war, and family (Publishers Weekly). Mandy Gruber, matriarch of a wealthy Israeli family, is beholden to her mother’s legacy and the pajama factory she started from nothing. While Mandy’s husband Irad, a self-proclaimed genius, is off in America researching new innovations in flak jackets, and her son Dael, a sniper for the Israeli Army, returns to war, Mandy schedules yet another cosmetic surgery. This time she’s getting new shoulder blades. But when the surgery goes awry, her rebellious daughter Lirit must take over the family business—and the family may never be the same. From the acclaimed author of Dolly City, Textile details the gradual disintegration of a family strained by distance and the corrosive effects of consumerism and militarism. “With understated flair and stoic wit, Castel-Bloom uses the Gruber family to explore the themes of globalization, materialism, superficiality, and longevity, anchoring her story in a neighborhood and attempting to ‘connect all this beauty and luxury to some kind of posterity beyond [the family’s] grasp.’” —Publishers Weekly “Internationally acclaimed Castel-Bloom—whose Dolly City is listed by UNESCO’s Collection of Representative Works—deftly weaves a web of intertwining character studies, each rich with detail and nuance. Against the backdrop of war and unrest, the strivings of a woman for independence gain international depth.” —Kirkus