Book Review - Exile

A Political Courtroom Thriller by Richard North Patterson

Jan 12, 2007

Exile by Richard North Patterson, Cover art courtesy of Henry Holt

More than just a book about terrorism, "Exile" is a disturbing, yet compelling murder drama, with deep roots in the conflicts of the West Bank. I highly recommend it.

Richard North Patterson's latest novel, Exile, released in January 2007, tells the tale of two Harvard lovers -- one an American Jew -- David Wolfe -- and one a Palestinian from the West Bank's refugee camps -- Hana Arif. In addition to their cultural differences, Hana is promised to a Palestinian man -- another Harvard student. Despite these obstacles, the couple falls in love. When Hana leaves abruptly, in the face of David's marriage proposal, he is devastated.

Political Murder

We next meet David Wolfe 13 years later. He is a successful San Francisco attorney, engaged to a socially-prominent and kind Jewish woman, and set to run for Congress. Then he gets a call from Hana. She is married to her intended and has a 13-year-old daughter -- and she is in the Bay area.

That evening, at a dinner hosts by his fiancee, he meets the Prime Minister of Israel, Amos Ben-Aron. When Ben-Aron is killed the next day by a suicide bomber, David gets another call. This time to represent Hana Arif, who has been charged with plotting the murder.

That defending a Palestinian who is charged with killing the Prime Minister of Israel puts David in a difficult position is an understatement. His fiance, her father, and David's political backers are confused and somewhat appalled. But, who else will defend this woman that is charged with the most heinous of crimes? And, can David put aside his troubling personal feelings in order to represent her?

Fact-Finding in the Middle East

The core of the novel finds David on a three-week fact-finding mission to Israel and the Occupied Territories. There, he meets with a parade of dignitaries and ordinary citizens in hopes of finding some bit of information that will help to clear his client. Among those he visits are Hana's parents, her professional colleagues, members of Palestinian freedom fighters, and Israeli extremists. As he wades through the conflicting truths of that region, Patterson takes his readers along for a fascinating ride through the oxymoron that is "peace in the Middle East." It makes for disturbing, yet compelling and important reading.

Of Love and Loss

After seeing the every day challenges of the West Bank and of Israel, it is no surprise that David's trip to the Middle East, and his subsequent discoveries, change him in ways the reader can only glimpse. Has the cost of defending Hana Arif been too great? In a battle where there are no winners, with what will David -- and Hana and her daughter -- be left?

In Exile, Patterson creates flawed, yet sympathetic characters, while at the same time illuminating the reader as to the all but hopeless state of Israeli/Palestinian relations. That the book is well researched is obvious. In his afterward, Patterson lists the numerous interviews that formed the core of his research. Among them are CNN's Wolf Blitzer; former Secretary of Defense, William Cohen; and former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger. He also lists scores of legal consultants as well as the Israeli embassy in Washington.

About Richard North Patterson

Richard North Patterson, a former trial lawyer, is the author of 13 previous novels, including his first novel, The Lasko Tangent, for which he won an Edgar Award. He divides his time between San Francisco and Martha's Vineyard.