I am not very well versed in Jewish and Middle Eastern culture and politics. And while some of the historically impactful events the author refers to throughout this book were familiar to me, I'm relieved to say that my general lack of cultural awareness did not hinder my enjoyment of Passport Control in the least. In fact, it was quite easy to fall in love with the story.
From the first few pages, I found myself immersed in Miriam Gil's life - I wanted to comfort her, guide her, warn her to take care and caution with the decisions she faced, and admonish her when she didn't. I celebrated her bravery, tenacity, and heart. I was utterly taken with the beauty of Israel as so thoughtfully presented through Miriam's eyes, and by contrast, the conflict that existed within. Miriam left Canada a young, (somewhat sheltered) Canadian Jew but returned a Canadian-born Israeli.
In the acknowledgments, Ms. Green writes that in its various stages of becoming a novel, Passport Control "[got] under some people's skin." And that's precisely what it did to me. I genuinely look forward to reading more from Gila Green...perhaps a sequel to Passport Control?
Thank you to Andrea Hunter for posting her view on Amazon/Goodreads and I love the shot of Andrea with the novel. Lovely!