Exile

By: Richard North Patterson

Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris

Length: 20 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

From one of America's most compelling novelists comes the mesmerizing story of a lawyer who must defend the woman he loves against a charge of conspiring to assassinate the prime minister of Israel

David Wolfe's life is approaching an exhilarating peak: he's a successful San Francisco lawyer, he's about to get married, and he's being primed for a run for Congress. But when the phone rings and he hears the voice of Hana Arif—the Palestinian woman with whom he had a secret affair in law school—he begins a completely unexpected journey. The next day, the prime minister of Israel is assassinated by a suicide bomber while visiting San Francisco; soon, Hana herself is accused of being the mastermind behind the murder. Now David faces an agonizing choice: Will he, a Jew, represent Hana—who may well be guilty—or will he turn away the one woman he can never forget?

The most challenging case of David's career requires that he delve deep into the lives of Hana Arif and her militant Palestinian husband, both of whom have always lived in exile. Ultimately, David's quest takes him to Israel and the West Bank, where, in a series of harrowing encounters, he learns that appearances are not at all what they seem.

Culminating in a tense and startling trial with international ramifications, Exile is that rare novel that both entertains and enlightens. At once an intricate tale of betrayal and deception, a moving love story, and a fascinating journey into the lethal politics of the Middle East, this is Richard North Patterson at his most brilliant and engrossing.

©2007 Richard North Patterson. All rights reserved (P)2007 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC

Critic reviews

"Action abounds, culminating in courtroom drama." (Booklist)

"Exile is a novel worth reading by anyone who is trying to understand, at least in part, one of the Middle East's political nightmares....Through his artful writing, Patterson presents compelling arguments for both sides while avoiding a preachy tone - a pitfall a lesser writer easily could succumb to." (USA Today)

Enlightening Listen

More than entertainment, this book delves into the heart of the Arab/Israeli conflict by exploring the lives of David, a Jewish man, and Hana, a Palestinian woman, who met and loved each other while attending Harvard Law School. David finds himself defending Hana for the brutal assassination of the Israeli Prime Minister while the PM visited the United States. Having not seen her since law school he is conflicted in many ways about his feelings for her and, while on a political fast track before now finds himself a pariah among his Jewish friends who can not understand how he can defend Hana. The author explores how Palestinians and Israelis have come to behave the way they do and through the various characters expresses how tumultuous the situation in the area has become. However, he seems to also say that much of the tragic situation is being fueled by outside forces, and if these could be contained perhaps there could be peace. The book is long and gives one an appreciation for the horrors experienced on both sides of the conflict. Definitely a book that is very hard to put down.

Entertaining

The story is very intricate and well described. The details are impecable. It is a slow developing story and there isn't a lot of 'heart-pounding' action, but it is a good story nonetheless. I haven't heard anyone tell the plight of Jews and Palestinians alike, let alone in the same story, quite like this!

One of the Best

The best book I have ever listened to on audio with the possible exception of Memoirs of a Geisha. The story is compelling and it is easy to be drawn into the frustration of the problems in the Middle East and the sadness that surrounds the lives of the people who live there every day in fear of terrorism and oppression. The narrator is excellent. I listen to books in my car and found excuses to go driving so I could listen to more. The 20 hour unabridged version goes by way too fast.

Excellent story, terrible narration

Kudos to Patterson for an objective and balanced description of both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian hopeless feud. The plot is terrific, but the narrator’s fake accent and ridiculous mispronunciations of Hebrew and Arabic words and names made me cringe. I recommend you read this book rather than listen to it.

Great Thriller!

This story was very engaging and entertaining, and one of the most unbiased perspectives of the Middle East conflict I've ever read. I highly recommend it and think it would make an excellent movie too!
The narration of the non American accents on the other hand was poorly done and not very convincing. In particular his portrayal of the female Arab accents was terrible and stereotypically "Hollywood". Having lived in the Middle East myself I can attest to the fact that Arab women do not all sound the same and definitely don't have the inflection he portrayed!

The best book I have ever

Truly the best. I love his work because of his ability to take a controversial subject and explore it fully through his fictional characters. This one was even more amazing. I was not finished for five minutes when I was ready to go through it again.

Not Disappointed

I really enjoyed this book, good story told from a character with a unique vantage point, sound narration and good writing (at times a bit predictable). This is the first book by Richard North Patterson I have read (listened to) but he has sufficiently impressed me that I will be reading more. I don't think this will disappoint.

Finally insight to the Middle East conflict

Compelling and educating at the same time. I finally "get" what's been at stake for the Middle East. I am proud of my heritage as an American, but it was very interesting to see how these groups are wired completely differently. It helps to understand. Really glad to have listened.

Skip book 1

My 4 star rating is deceptive:
Book 1 was dreadful and far to long winded. I almost gave up but glad I did not. Call me shallow, but I enjoy the materialistic world we live in and can only take so much of angry young men/women who thumb their noses at it.
Book 2 was OK - 4 stars
Book 3 was fantastic. I have never visited the Middle East and this certainly gave me some insight into life in this area - 5 stars
Book 4 the court room drama was also great, but predictable - 5 stars

Exile

Excellent novel, provided an inspiring and totally interesting story of how people's lives change and still stay the same. It also provided some insight into the middle east and a peak into other cultures not often seen.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.