The Book of Love and Hate

By Lauren Sanders

"Sanders, whose first novel Kamikaze Lust, won a 2000 Lambda Literary Award, offers an international espionage thriller in which a failed Olympic speed skater falls for her father's lover, a former Israeli army pilot turned corporate spy."
--Publishers Weekly

"This is a book of murky morality and uncertain resolutions. Which is to say, a thriller of literary pedigree, unbound by convention...If you're seeking a cathartic resolution in the final pages, you might be disappointed--but you shouldn't be surprised. Not when you're talking about Israel and corrupt fortunes, and madness, obsession, and abuse. These are the themes of timeless fiction; we can work through them and seek something resembling sanity. Just don't expect to find a safe, comforting space in the pages of Lauren Sanders's discomforting and terrific book."
--Village Voice

"[A] thrilling tale of espionage, family ties, sex, love, and betrayal. If you're looking for an exciting and juicy read, look no further."
--The Advocate, Included in "17 New Books About LGBT Families"

"Set in contemporary Israel, The Book of Love and Hate by Lambda Literary Award-winning author Lauren Sanders follows failed Olympic speed skater Jennifer on a quest to find her missing billionaire father as she encounters 'fake Orthodox Jews, queer Palestinians on the run' and a host of others."
---Bay Area Reporter

“The Book of Love and Hate, a new novel from Lambda Literary Award winner Lauren Sanders, tells of protagonist Jennifer Baron encounters with queer Palestinians in Israel while searching for her missing father."
--Washington Blade

"A literary spy thriller and love story that shifts between New York and Israel, The Book of Love and Hate by Lauren Sanders is told from the perspective of a failed Olympic skater, trying to stay sober. Traveling to Israel in search of her disappeared father, she encounters a Mossad agent gone bad, fake Orthodox Jews, gay Palestinians on the run and others wandering the Holy Land."
--The New York Jewish Week, included in Fall Books Preview

"Sanders knows how to craft a story. The storyline is riveting, and the personal development of the characters kept me engaged on a deeper level than even her thrilling plot could. Her prose is beautiful and brings you to an ending that is sure to have you reeling."
--Windy City Times

"Brilliant...Like Jeanette Winterson, with dazzling language and character anathema to sensibilities, Sanders spotlights human transgression...The Book of Love and Hate contains lessons of patriarchal pitfalls, written with a brilliance sure to challenge social constructs via opposition, shining a light on non-binary thinking and lesbian love."
--Sinister Wisdom

Jennifer Baron is a failed Olympic speed skater now running her family's foundation and trying to stay sober, when her billionaire father disappears. She travels to Israel in search of him, becoming recklessly entangled in his illegal dealings and with his enigmatic lover, Gila, a former Mossad agent gone bad. Along the way, she is drawn into the shadow worlds of the Promised Land, where career-jockeying government agents, fake Orthodox Jews, queer Palestinians on the run, and other displaced wanderers scramble to find home amid the endless cycles of war, occupation, and heartbreak.

The Book of Love and Hate is an unraveling of white-collar crime and its motivations. It's a testament to the magnificent oblivion of love and a shattering of inherited trauma, both personal and historical.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Akashic Books
• Release date: Sep 18, 2017
• ISBN: 9781617756009

Lauren Sanders

Lauren Sanders is the author of two novels--Kamikaze Lust, which won a Lambda Literary Award, and With or Without You. Her writing has appeared in various publications and journals including Bookforum, the American Book Review, and Time Out New York. She is a resident of the great nation of Brooklyn.

Reviews for The Book of Love and Hate

[whitewavedarling · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This book sounded right up my alley... but it wasn't. I HATE not finishing books, but I just couldn't. I stopped at around page 60, and getting that far was a struggle.Here's the thing--the plot is hard to follow, and the narrator is so incredibly entitled and unlikeable that I really couldn't get on board with her. Finally, the idea of 'listening' to her for another 250 pages was just too much to bear. Simply, there wasn't anything connecting me to the book or making me want to keep reading, even after 60 pages. On top of that, the writing felt uneven, and while that may have been a by-product of elevating the voice and stylizing the so-called plot, it made everything worse.So, no, I couldn't make myself keep going. From the blurb, this still sounds like something I should love, but I'm afraid all it did was, at turns, either annoy me or put me to sleep.

[dbsovereign · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novel moves around in time with the narrator slowly exposing us to a world which seems to be filled with white collar crime and populated by Israeli spies. I particularly like the detailed setting/milieu (modern-day Israel) and the unknowns that establish some degree of tension and suspense. Is her father really dead, is her girlfriend only using her? The multiple lesbianic sex scenes are a bit redundant, but overall I found the book relatively engrossing plot-wise. And it provides some insight into the issues involved re the conflict in the Near East. Also particularly engaging are the scenes with the narrator's brother - these are some of the best in the book as they are redolent of a raw honesty, a bare boned truth. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I did not mind the loose ends - life rarely ties everything up neatly. Review: 3.5 to 4 Stars.

[wolfeyluvr · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was... a true challenge to get through. I really wanted to toss it aside after 20 pages but no, I can't give a fair review without finishing. So I finished. I will admit I had to skim half of it in order to make it happen but I paced myself enough to keep track of what was going on plot-wise. I'll lead with the good. The author is eloquent with her words, I would periodically come to a sentence or statement that actually resonated with me. The book was sexy (not smutty). The main character is lesbian. It is set mainly in Israel, sometimes NYC or Connecticut (flashbacks). Prior to the events of the novel she met her brother in Israel for hanging out in the mountains? He was a little messed up (they all are) so they bond. He dies shortly after. A year prior to the current setting she returns because her father dies(supposedly) in Israel and she falls in love with his lover afterwards... whom is a spy. They part ways for about a year but she can't stay away and comes back. FBI etc. are eyeing her because they suspect her father didn't really die and he committed financial crimes prior to death with his business (I inferred). Jennifer (main character) was once a very good speed ice skater until she was injured. Her whole family is a disaster and she spends a lot of time reflecting on their past. She is a recovering alcoholic and her flashbacks reveal substance abuse and sexual experimentation from an early age. She hates her father but frankly she never really says why HE was horrible, she instead hates her mom and while she sees why her brother was horrible loves him dearly. This book was more of an experience than a story. You are constantly in the main character's head and she is constantly reflecting on her past and not thinking nearly enough about the present.. or is a little too focused on her coffee. I was going a bit mad figuring out what the heck was going on. You know how you can walk in on a conversation and everyone is referring to "it" over and over yet you missed the part of the conversation that actually stated what "it" is? That is this book in a nut shell. I will say I it wasn't much of a story. You are only going to like this book if the character or the setting speak to you, which it did not speak to me. So for the right audience this could potentially be an amazing book because the author does write well. But the style(all the flashbacks) and story itself are for a narrow audience. ONE suggestion (other than redoing 85% of this story) I came up with. There was a scene where the lover asks about tear, she thought they were referring to crying and the main character corrected her, they were speaking of tear as in tearing paper. So it occurs to me yeah they are in a foreign country speaking English... how about incorporating dialects and accents into the dialog? *won as an earlyreview copy from LibraryThing 2017.

[willymammoth · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

To be quite honest, I didn't like this book. Ms. Sanders is a fine author. Her command of language and character are superb. She blew me away with her descriptions of certain things. However, the non-linear structure of the narrative and the lack of plot killed it for me. It was billed as being a novel that was (partly) about white collar crime. But after reading more than half the book, I wasn't any closer to learning more about the central "crime" conflict in the book other than a handful vague references. I wasn't enjoying the process of reading it, so I stopped about 60% in.

[booksandblintzes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The title of Lauren Sanders' novel, The Book of Love and Hate, nearly perfectly describes my feelings about reading it. Sanders' writing is razor-sharp, a stark contrast to the intentionally fuzzy edges of her characters and setting. As Sanders flings her readers along on the protagonist's jumbled attempt to find the truth about her father, we understand just how illusory the truth can be.In The Book of Love and Hate, nothing is exactly as it seems. Sanders' characters are complex, muddled by dysfunctional family relationships, substance abuse, Olympic ambition, wealth, and politics. She covers them with a layer of grittiness that matches the roughness in her depiction of Israel. Sanders uses Jennifer Baron as the constant narrator, but as she goes back and forth between Jennifer's present and past. The challenge of tracking the time actively works against the consistency of Jennifer's voice.Sanders shows that she is a master in drawing in her readers, and relentlessly pushes the boundaries of suspense and credulity. Reading The Book of Love and Hate was alternately deeply frustrating and shockingly refreshing. I wanted to read it on the beach in Tel Aviv, soothed by the waves while surrounded by the crackling vitality of the city. Reading it in my home by myself was far too quiet. And reading it was hard work. Sanders'book rewards readers who appreciate the craftsmanship of writing, rather than the simplicity of a straightforward plot. If you are prepared to accept this balance of investing your intellectual curiosity while surrendering control to the author's whims, The Books of Love and Hate is a knock out. Less adventurous readers should consider themselves forewarned.Books and Blintzes received a copy of this book from LibraryThing.com in order to compose this review. This review only reflects the views of its author.

[nmarti-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Received this book from Early Reviewers. Not much to say about the book. I had some difficulty keeping up with the top speed pace, the changing times and places, and the edgy characters, especially the narrator and central one, Jennifer. Yet, the writing is excellent and the style is not one I am used to. It is challenging in an occasionally discouraging but mostly enjoyable way. I liked it!

[karen59_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

For me, this was a hard read. I never understood or felt interested in the main protaginist or was intriqued by the story. I can dislike a main character and still feel grabbed by the plot but this one just left me cold. I kept trying to care, kept trying to push through but after several tries I stopped. When I am reviewing a book I almost always read to the end. I did not with this book. I received this bok from Early Reviewers.

[theflamingoreads · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This review will be short - as I wish the book itself was. It's hard to believe that this book passed the 'let's publish this' at the start. The plot is practically non-existent, the characters are either unlikeable or an enigma, and the dialogue is all over the place. I normally enjoy a good thriller and this sounded intriguing. Because I'm the sort of reader/reviewer that feels obligated to finish a book, I persevered, much against my better judgement. The narrator, Jennifer, is in such anguish - career over, alcoholic, missing father, and something weird going on with her brother - but I didn't feel any remorse for her or her plight. The LBGT angle seemed unreal and unnecessary. The mysterious neighbor was confusing. All in all, I just could not get into this book. Normally I can find something, but not this time.Sorry, Lauren Sanders, but this one didn't do it for me.

[diana.hauser · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

THE BOOK OF LOVE AND HATE by Lauren Sanders was sent to me by the publisher, Akashic Books, in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.The book cover tells me that “Jennifer Baron is a failed Olympic Speed Skater now running her family’s foundation and trying to stay sober, when her billionaire father disappears. She travels to Israel in search of him, becoming recklessly entangled in his illegal dealings and with his lover, Gila, a former Mossad agent gone bad.”“THE BOOK OF LOVE AND HATE is an unraveling of white-collar crime and its motivations. It is a testament to the magnificent oblivion of love and a shattering of inherited trauma, both personal and historical.”I am fortunate to have this book cover synopsis because after reading (and rereading many parts of the book), I still have no clue as to what the book is about.We seem to switch back and forth between different years - 2008, 2009, 1989, 2009 and 2012.We spend a lot of time in Israel - in the present and in flashbacks.We have whacko characters - spaced out, drugged out, crazy, self-loathing and self-destructive, wearing bedsheets in the desert with retractable wings (that’s what he told her!), rogue ‘agents’ (not sure really) who like to torture people, apartment bombings, a sexual predator, flashbacks of speed skating accidents, rampant drug-taking and lesbian encounters. I may be really nuts myself, but I did not understand the plot of the book or the characters in the book. Even at the end, I wasn’t sure if the father was alive or dead.I did like the scenes of Israel and the description of the almond grove (p.129) “the scent of honey dripping from the sky”.