A Bottle in the Gaza Sea

The geopolitical conflict between Israelis and Palestinians forms the context and backdrop of the entire novel, circumscribing the lives of its protagonists and their ability to be perceived as individuals. When Tal says she knows “that history is relentless; it doesn’t think about people who want a quiet life, it just grinds on, sometimes destroying everything in its way” (81), her frustration with a conflict that feels ancient and inevitable is clear. The choices that were made before she and Naïm were born dictate how they live, how they are “supposed” to see the world, and even whom they are allowed to like, forcing them to live without freedom of choice. As Tal and Naïm cope with the impacts of the broader conflict on their ability to shape their own lives, sharing their individual dreams and identities, the novel emphasizes the humanity of people caught in global events beyond their control.

It is the individual impact of this geopolitical conflict that initially drives Tal to take action by writing her letter: The bombing at the nearby café takes on a personal dimension for her when she learns that a girl just three years older than her has been killed the day before her wedding.