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409 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
What defined him more— a full life of careful driving, of medical studies, of carrying an old lady’s groceries from the supermarket, or that single moment? (Loc. 2174-2175).For much of Waking Lions, it was the latter.
But apparently, existential fears sometimes overcome moral imperatives, and their mortgage was undoubtedly an existential fear" (Loc. 767-768).Although Waking Lions is about deeply personal decisions, it also explores our moral decisions about immigration, leaving us (appropriately) uneasy:
A bank balance of 30,000 shekels would lose nothing if a mere 1,000 were taken from it. Many people could be saved with 1,000 shekels. Food for babies, purified water. Nevertheless, the money remained in the bank. That was where it belonged, and the moral discussion remained around the living room coffee table, where it belonged. They were no different from him. He had abandoned an injured Eritrean on the side of Route 40, while they left their Africans in the savanna. It was a clear option: 1,000 shekels for a person’s life. Any takers? No. Of course not. The issue wasn’t what you were running from, only whether you got caught. (Loc. 945-950)Eitan's crime was not only a hit and run or a failure to donate to charities, but a failure to see and empathize: Eitan "knew that [Sirkit] was beautiful, and he knew that if he were to see her in the street, he would not give her a second glance" (Loc. 1396) – even though he is consumed by her, alternately hating and lusting after her.
He didn’t want her to be a saint. All he wanted was for her to be human (and it never occurred to him that there are times when being human is a privilege). (Loc. 3727-3728).This is a beautifully-written, complex, and moving story. I wish it was irrelevant and unnecessary. I am a "good person" but wish that I didn't see myself and the people who are close to me in Eitan.