All the things you are
In her novel Clemency Burton-Hill asks if love can put back together what the world has torn apart. This question is explored as she tells the story of a relationship between an American Jewish woman and an American Palestinian man that has to overcome one of the most difficult conflicts in the world. Like most real-life relationships the characters face the obstacles of their pasts, their families and their lives – but in this story, Burton-Hill adds the element of a political conflict that leaves entire communities and societies divided the world over.
All the Things You Are is the story of Holocaust survivor Esther Goldfaden's granddaughter who loses her job and begins work at her grandmother's community centre in New York. There she meets an enigmatic young Middle Eastern man. This mysterious Middle Eastern character leaves the reader guessing his true origins. Yet as the relationship develops between the two characters it is not long before it is revealed that this man is in fact Palestinian.
The two embark upon a relationship that takes them from America to Jerusalem, exploring varying sides of the conflict. As their relationship emulates the twists and turns so common in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the two characters face serious questions over whether their relationship can survive this huge political gulf. Although one can easily lose themselves in the story of two hearts battling for survival, their relationship is not so far from that of reality – indeed in the summer of 2014 a young Palestinian man and Israeli Jewish girl were at the heart of a media storm when they chose to get married and Israeli courts allowed protests outside their wedding.
Whilst Burton-Hill pushes her readers to root for the couple to overcome all odds, it seems that they have to overcome not only some of the hardest political problems of the 20th Century, but indeed stereotypes and prejudices about the conflict. As the novel develops and the story takes them back to Jerusalem, the Palestinian character is painted in the least sympathetic way, he becomes, as often is the case in the media, the villain of the story. The young American Jewish girl is a victim of the heartless Palestinian who wants to only cause suffering and pain, just like all other Palestinians. And this is where Burton-Hill exceeds herself; she breaks down these prejudices and allows the twists and turns of the story to turn these bigotries on their head.
All the Things You Are is a romantic tale of love and sacrifice that ties in politics and global affairs to examine if love is really all that's needed to overcome the Palestinian conflict. As news consumers and audiences across the world get subsumed by the overarching issues of the conflict, the loss of lives, the humanitarian suffering and the ongoing occupation, it can be easy for people to forget the everyday impact the conflict can have.
In Burton-Hills' book she reminds the reader that this political conflict can take over every aspect of a person's life. In exploring the Palestinian-Israeli issues through the tumultuous relationship of Natasha and Rafi, Burton-Hill humanises a conflict that is often posited as an abstract intellectual thesis – not a conflict that impacts the day to day lives of ordinary people.
