The Human Scale

A Novel

De: Lawrence Wright

Narrado por: Peter Ganim

In this sweeping, timely thriller, a Palestinian American FBI agent teams up with a hardline Israeli cop to solve the murder of the Israeli police chief in Gaza—from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Looming Tower and The End of October.

"A layered tale of intrigue and betrayal."—Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of March and Horse

Tony Malik, a half-Irish, half-Arab FBI agent based in New York, specializes in tracking money from drug and arms deals. His life takes a dramatic turn when a long-term relationship ends and his job hangs in the balance. Amid personal turmoil, Malik becomes intrigued by his Palestinian father's past. He decides to visit his ancestral homeland for his niece's wedding, accepting a seemingly simple FBI assignment along the way.

Upon arrival in the West Bank, Malik's world is upended when the Israeli police chief is murdered. Initially a suspect, Malik's investigative prowess soon earns him a place in the Israeli investigation. At the heart of the story is Malik's complex relationship with Yossi, the hardline anti-Arab Israeli police officer leading the case. They must learn to trust each other because, as they move closer to solving the case, they realize there is no one else they can trust on either side.

Lawrence Wright populates the novel with richly drawn characters: Yossi's daughter studying in Paris, Malik's niece whose wedding is shattered by violence, her peacenik fiancé with ties to Hamas, and a cast of religious leaders, corrupt cops, and militants on both sides. Through these intersecting lives, Wright weaves an intricate tapestry that culminates in the devastating Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

More than a thriller, Wright's novel explores the complex history between Israel and Palestine, revealing the tragic human scale of this long-standing conflict and offering a nuanced perspective on a tragedy that continues to shape the region and the world.

©2025 Lawrence Wright (P)2025 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"In this lacerating novel, Wright draws on years of experience in Israel and Palestine to forge a layered tale of intrigue and betrayal. It is a novel of hard truths; a bitter indictment of the corrupt, cruel leaders on both sides who have caused immeasurable suffering."—Geraldine Brooks; Pulitzer Prize winning novelist

"Wright’s The Human Scale, set in Hebron, is a furnace of conflict between Israeli settlers and Palestinian terrorists but also between ordinary Israelis and ordinary Palestinians, an unsettlingly relentless suspenseful portrait of terror, intolerance and cruelty on both sides, on all sides, tempered by humanity, family and love, packed with knowledge and facts, a ticking bomb of a book that explodes in Hamas’s October 7 slaughter—this is the first October 7 novel."—Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Jerusalem

"The loss of a single life — the murder of Jacob Weingarten, an Israeli police chief in a West Bank settlement — sets in motion Lawrence Wright’s gripping new novel. . . . Wright’s characters represent a wide variety of histories and perspectives. . . . The politics in this book are impossible to ignore; indeed, they’re the point. . . . Given the passions raging around the current war in Gaza, Wright’s audiobook is a gutsy one to write. To fail as a novelist and become a partisan of one side would read as a betrayal not only of the opposing side, but also of what the best literature does: It both asserts and reconciles our humanity through perspectives that may be far from our own. Wright succeeds in this complex, deeply felt work. He shows that if it is possible to save mankind one life at a time, as the Talmud and Quran affirm, then maybe it is also possible to save our humanity, one story at a time." —Elliot Ackerman, The New York Times Book Review

Excellent writing!

A clever mix of fact and fiction that will take you deep into the conflict, beyond the headlines and prejudices.

Hopeless

America has the pleasure of not knowing - The awareness the author brings into his story is great.

The story was well woven into history with unexpected twists and turns

Love the backdrop, Paris,the Negev, and the needless chaos, destruction and waste is disturbing . Seems alive and dreamlike simultaneously perhaps a peaceful outcome before the second coming?

Want to really understand the Israel - Palestinian war?

Brilliant novel. Takes you into the minds of the people on both sides. Some are fanatics and some are just trying to live their lives. Brings much understanding but little hope.

A novel that proves the point that fiction, when endowed with truth and reality, can be more powerful than non-fiction

The author’s ability to capture the emotions of both sides of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict

Excellent and timely!

The story is highly relevant to the current state of affairs in the Middle East!

Exceptionally well researched and moving story

This novel The Human Scale is a riveting look at the Israeli Palestinian conflict in the Middle East. The story has strong characters and is set against many historical backdrops. Religion is ever-present but Lawrence Wright presents it in a neutral manner. We conclude that hatred on both sides is so extreme that peace is unlikely. Sad but true.

Comprehensive view on the Israeli Palestinian conflict threaded through a police investigation of mysterious killing.

The balanced view of the writer and the excellent writing. Highly recommend to anyone who wants to understand the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict from every possible perspective.

Incredible story

I enjoyed listening to this book. It is a book that every Jew and Muslim should read it!!

Understanding more

The truth of this story . Difficult read . Shows the insanity of the extremist on both sides. The evil of the powers that rule both sides