Seven years apart, sociologist Alexander Gideon and his ex-wife Ilana begin to unravel the contents of the "black box" of their broken marriage. They want to find out why their once passionate but unbalanced relationship failed. A several-month exchange of letters, telegrams and other messages, which gradually involves Ilana's second husband, rebellious son or Alexander's lawyer, draws the reader step by step into their increasingly acrimonious confrontation. Although all of them share a strong emotional bond, they are unable to overcome the barrier of bias and irreconcilability. And this also applies to their political and religious attitudes, through which Amos Oz brings to light the contradictory face of modern Israeli society. His novel was widely acclaimed soon after its publication, translated into eleven languages and awarded the French Femina Prize.
Czech edition