Who are the main characters in the story?

The main characters are the unnamed Arab Israeli criminal attorney, a man striving for a sophisticated Israeli image; his wife, a social worker-turned-artist whose past becomes central to the plot; and Yonatan, the mysterious previous owner of the book and recipient of the love letter, whose identity is more intricate than initially perceived.

How does the discovery of the love letter drive the plot?

The love letter acts as the catalyst for the attorney's descent into suspicion and obsession. It propels him to meticulously investigate his wife's past and Yonatan's identity, leading him to uncover uncomfortable truths and make choices that ultimately threaten to dismantle his carefully constructed life and relationships.

What role does Tolstoy's 'The Kreutzer Sonata' play in the narrative?

Tolstoy's novel is more than just a plot device; it mirrors the attorney's escalating jealousy and paranoia. 'The Kreutzer Sonata' deals with marital infidelity and the destructive power of suspicion, directly reflecting the protagonist's emotional state and foreshadowing potential tragic outcomes in his own marriage.

What significant revelation does the attorney uncover about Yonatan?

The attorney discovers that 'Yonatan' is not just a separate individual, but is, in fact, his wife's former identity. She had lived for a period as a Jewish woman named Yonatan, a secret she kept from her husband, revealing a profound and complex struggle with her identity and past.

How does the attorney's 'sophisticated Israeli Arab' image connect to the plot's secrets?

The attorney's desire to maintain a sophisticated Israeli Arab image, complete with a Mercedes and visits to bookstores, highlights his aspiration to belong in Israeli society while navigating his Palestinian identity. This quest for acceptance ironically blinds him to the complexities of his wife's own identity struggles and her past life as Yonatan.

Are there any subtle clues early in the book that hint at the twist regarding Yonatan's identity?

The narrative subtly hints at the twist through the wife's artistic pursuits and her previous career as a social worker, both of which suggest a deeper engagement with identity and societal roles. Her recommendation of 'The Kreutzer Sonata' to her husband also retrospectively appears as a loaded suggestion, given her own secrets.

What is the significance of the attorney's dual language ability (Arabic and Hebrew)?

His fluency in both Arabic and Hebrew symbolizes his liminal position between two cultures: his Palestinian heritage and his integration into Israeli society. This dual identity allows him to navigate different social circles but also underscores his internal conflict and the challenges of belonging in a complex, often segregated, society.

How does the attorney's jealousy transform him throughout the novel?

Initially a successful and seemingly content man, the attorney becomes increasingly paranoid, obsessive, and isolated. His jealousy consumes his thoughts, leading him to neglect his family and profession, ultimately eroding his self-perception and the foundations of his life as he pursues a truth he may not be prepared for.

What psychological impact does the wife's past identity as Yonatan have on her?

Living as Yonatan likely caused significant psychological strain for the wife, forcing her to suppress her true identity and heritage. This experience suggests a deep internal conflict regarding her place in Israeli society and the lengths she felt she had to go to achieve a sense of belonging or opportunity, leaving lasting emotional scars.

How does the novel explore the concept of performative identity?

Both the attorney and his wife engage in performative identity. The attorney consciously cultivates an image of a 'sophisticated Israeli Arab' to fit into certain societal strata. His wife, more drastically, performs the identity of 'Yonatan,' a Jewish woman, highlighting the pressures and sacrifices individuals make to navigate complex social and ethnic landscapes.

What role does self-deception play in the protagonist's journey?

Self-deception is central to the protagonist's journey. He initially deceives himself about the stability of his marriage and his own contentment, allowing his jealousy to fester unchecked. More profoundly, he is self-deceived about his wife's past, unable to fathom the complexities of her identity until forced to confront them, shattering his idealized view of her and their life.

What broader message does the novel convey about Arab Israeli identity?

The novel portrays Arab Israeli identity as multifaceted and often fraught with internal and external pressures. It highlights the constant negotiation between heritage and integration, the desire for acceptance, and the challenges of maintaining authenticity in a society marked by ethnic and cultural divisions. Both protagonists struggle with how to define and live their identities.

Is the attorney's quest for truth ultimately destructive or redemptive?

The attorney's quest for truth is largely destructive. While he uncovers secrets, the process shatters his marriage, his peace of mind, and his carefully constructed life. The 'truth' he finds is not liberating but rather deeply painful, forcing him to confront uncomfortable realities about his wife, himself, and the society they inhabit, without offering clear redemption.

How does the novel use humor, despite its serious themes?

Kashua's characteristic dry wit and comedic observations often arise from the attorney's internal monologues and his interactions with others, particularly his attempts to maintain his 'sophisticated' facade. This humor provides moments of levity and sharp social commentary, making the heavy themes of identity, betrayal, and paranoia more nuanced and accessible without undermining their seriousness.

What is the significance of the title 'Second Person Singular'?

The title 'Second Person Singular' alludes to the shifting perspectives and identities within the narrative. It can refer to the attorney imagining his wife's life, his wife's 'other' identity as Yonatan, or even the reader's engagement with the characters' internal worlds. It emphasizes the subjective nature of identity and the way individuals perceive themselves and others.

Does the novel offer any hope for reconciliation for the couple?

The novel leaves the possibility of reconciliation ambiguous and challenging. The revelations are deeply damaging to their trust and understanding of each other. While the ending doesn't explicitly close the door, it suggests that the path to true reconciliation would be extraordinarily difficult, requiring immense work to rebuild from the shattered fragments of their past and present.

How does the ending impact the reader's understanding of the protagonist's journey?

The ending forces the reader to reflect on the high cost of unchecked suspicion and the complexities of identity. It underscores that while truth may be sought, it doesn't always bring peace or resolution. The protagonist's journey concludes not with a tidy answer, but with the profound, unsettling consequences of his actions and discoveries, leaving a lasting impression of the fragility of relationships and self-perception.

Archivist's Choice

Second Person Singular

Name: Second Person Singular
Availability: InStock
Rating: 3.98 (2003 reviews)
ISBN: 9780802194640

Sayed Kashua (2012)

Genre

Fiction

Reading Time

240 min

Key Themes

See below

Track Your Reading

An Arab-Israeli lawyer's carefully built life falls apart due to jealousy and an identity crisis after he finds a love letter in his wife's handwriting, leading him to track down the letter's former owner.

Synopsis

An Arab-Israeli lawyer in Jerusalem, with a seemingly perfect life, discovers a hidden love letter in his wife's handwriting inside a used copy of Tolstoy's "The Kreutzer Sonata." Suspicion consumes him. He begins a quest to find the letter's recipient, Yonatan, believing him to be his wife's lover. As the lawyer investigates Yonatan's life, he uncovers a complex web of identities, secrets, and a past that connects with his own. His investigation, driven by paranoia, shatters his own carefully constructed identity and reveals uncomfortable truths about his marriage, his ambitions, and the realities of Arab-Israeli life.

Reading time

240 min

Difficulty

Medium

Pacing

Moderate

Mood

Suspenseful, Introspective, Darkly Humorous, Thought-provoking

✓ Read this if...

You enjoy psychological mysteries, explorations of identity, and nuanced social commentary on Arab-Israeli life.

✗ Skip this if...

You prefer straightforward plots or are uncomfortable with themes of infidelity and existential angst.

Plot Summary

The Kreutzer Sonata and a Hidden Letter

The unnamed narrator, an Arab-Israeli criminal attorney in Jerusalem, prides himself on his integrated identity. He lives in a large house with his wife and two children, drives a Mercedes, and visits a local bookstore often to maintain an intellectual image. One evening, he buys a used copy of Tolstoy's 'The Kreutzer Sonata,' a book his wife had suggested. To his shock, he finds a handwritten love letter in Arabic tucked inside. The handwriting is his wife's, and the letter speaks of deep affection and a secret affair, immediately sending the lawyer into a spiral of suspicion.

The Quest for Yonatan

The love letter shatters the lawyer's carefully constructed world and his sense of marital security. He becomes obsessed with identifying the recipient, a man named Yonatan, whose name is in the letter. Driven by betrayal and a need for answers, he begins a secret investigation. His search is not only for Yonatan but also for the truth behind his wife's perceived infidelity, leading him down a path of secrecy and increasingly erratic behavior, jeopardizing his composure and professional life.

A Glimpse into Yonatan's Life

Through his inquiries, the lawyer slowly learns about Yonatan. He discovers Yonatan was a Jewish social worker with a complex relationship with his family, especially his father. Yonatan later left social work for art, causing more friction. The lawyer's investigation reveals Yonatan's struggles with identity and belonging, mirroring the lawyer's own internal conflicts. These initial findings intensify the lawyer's need to confront Yonatan and understand his full connection to his wife.

The Art Exhibition and a Fateful Encounter

The lawyer learns that Yonatan is holding an art exhibition. He sees this as a chance to finally meet Yonatan, observe him, and perhaps confront him about the letter. He attends the exhibition, filled with apprehension and determination. The art itself, personal and reflective of Yonatan's inner world, offers more clues to his character. The lawyer observes Yonatan from a distance, studying his demeanor, trying to reconcile the image of the man with the perceived threat to his marriage. This indirect encounter further fuels his obsession.

A Life Intertwined: Yonatan's Past

The story begins to weave in Yonatan's past as a child of a secular Jewish family in Jerusalem. Yonatan's upbringing is marked by not fitting in, a feeling made worse by his father's strict expectations and his own artistic inclinations. He struggles with his identity, feeling alienated from both religious and secular Israeli society. His path to becoming a social worker and then an artist is explored, showing his search for meaning and connection, often leading to disillusionment. His story provides a contrasting yet parallel exploration of identity and belonging.

The Hospital Stay

A key event in Yonatan's life is a long stay in a hospital, the reasons for which are initially unclear. During this time, he deals with his mental and physical health, reflecting deeply on his life choices and aspirations. This hospitalization becomes a turning point, pushing him further from his social work career and solidifying his decision to pursue art. He also meets various people who influence his perspective, shaping his understanding of connection, vulnerability, and the human condition. The hospital is a crucible for his transformation.

The Lawyer's Unraveling

As the lawyer's investigation into Yonatan deepens, his own life begins to fall apart. His professional focus wanes, his interactions with his wife become strained and suspicious, and his controlled demeanor gives way to paranoia and erratic behavior. He constantly scrutinizes his wife's actions and words, searching for any sign of her alleged infidelity. The pursuit of Yonatan becomes an all-consuming quest, blurring the lines between his public persona and his internal turmoil, ultimately threatening his reputation and family stability.

The Intersecting Lives of the Lawyer and Yonatan

The novel reveals how the lives of the unnamed lawyer and Yonatan are more connected than they first appear. Their paths cross in unexpected ways, not just through the lawyer's wife, but through shared experiences, institutions, and even subtle, unacknowledged interactions from their pasts. This web of connections highlights the idea that individuals, especially in a complex society like Israel, are often unknowingly linked, and that personal histories can unexpectedly converge, creating unforeseen consequences and challenging perceptions of individual autonomy and identity.

The Truth Behind the Letter

The climax of the lawyer's investigation uncovers the truth behind the love letter. It is revealed that the letter was not written by his wife to Yonatan in an affair. Instead, the letter was written by Yonatan's mother to his father, found within the pages of 'The Kreutzer Sonata' by Yonatan himself. The lawyer's wife, having previously read the book and knowing its importance to Yonatan, had simply returned it to him. This revelation completely overturns the lawyer's assumptions, exposing the depths of his paranoia and the fragility of his perceptions.

A New Understanding and Lingering Questions

The truth about the letter forces the lawyer to confront his own biases, his insecurity, and the extent of his misjudgment. While the immediate threat of infidelity is gone, the emotional damage from his intense jealousy and suspicion remains. His relationship with his wife has been strained, and his self-perception as a rational individual is shattered. The novel ends with the lawyer facing the aftermath of his obsessive quest, left to reconcile his actions with his identity and grapple with the lasting impact of his journey into suspicion and self-deception.

Principal Figures

The Unnamed Narrator

The Protagonist

He transforms from a seemingly composed and successful professional into a paranoid and obsessive man, ultimately confronting the fragility of his identity and the destructive power of his own biases.

Yonatan

The Supporting

Yonatan's arc is largely revealed through flashbacks and the lawyer's investigation, showing his evolution from a dutiful son to an independent artist seeking his own path.

The Narrator's Wife

The Supporting

Her character remains relatively static in terms of personal development, but her portrayal shifts from an ideal wife to a suspected betrayer, and finally to a victim of her husband's misjudgment.

Yonatan's Mother

The Mentioned

Her arc is presented retrospectively, revealing her hidden emotional life and the lasting impact of her intimate correspondence.

Themes & Insights

Identity and Belonging

The novel explores the complexities of identity, especially for Arab-Israelis navigating a dual cultural existence. The unnamed lawyer tries to balance his Arab heritage with his desire to be seen as a sophisticated, integrated Israeli. He feels like an outsider in both worlds, leading to deep insecurities. Yonatan, a Jewish Israeli, also struggles with his identity, feeling alienated from his family's expectations and seeking his own path through art. Their parallel searches highlight the universal human need for belonging and the challenges of forging a unique identity amidst societal pressures, as seen in the lawyer's relentless pursuit of a 'perfect' image.

““I had carefully constructed an identity, a facade, that I believed made me invisible to judgment. But the letter shattered it all.””

Jealousy and Paranoia

Jealousy and paranoia are the central forces driving the plot. The discovery of the love letter immediately sends the lawyer into an obsessive spiral, where suspicion overrides reason. He projects his own insecurities onto his wife and Yonatan, creating an elaborate story of betrayal that has little basis in reality. This theme shows in his increasingly erratic behavior, his constant surveillance of his wife, and his relentless investigation into Yonatan's life, demonstrating how unchecked suspicion can warp perception and destroy trust.

““Suspicion, once planted, grows into a monstrous tree, its branches reaching into every corner of your mind.””

Perception vs. Reality

The novel plays with the difference between what characters perceive and what is true. The lawyer creates an entire reality based on one piece of evidence—the love letter—misinterpreting its origin and intent. He sees his wife's innocent actions as betrayal, and Yonatan as a rival. The narrative slowly reveals the true, more mundane, story behind the letter. This theme highlights how personal biases, fears, and cultural assumptions can distort understanding, leading to profound misunderstandings and personal turmoil.

““I had built an entire world on a single word, a single piece of handwriting, and it was all a house of cards.””

The Weight of the Past

The past strongly influences the characters' present lives. The love letter itself is from Yonatan's parents' past, resurfacing to create a crisis in the lawyer's present. Yonatan's struggles with his family history and his father's expectations shape his life choices. The lawyer's own internal conflicts are rooted in his past experiences as an Arab in Israeli society. The novel suggests that personal and collective histories are not easily shed, and that echoes of the past can unexpectedly intrude upon and redefine contemporary experiences, often with dramatic consequences.

““The past is never truly past; it lies in wait, ready to ambush the present when you least expect it.””

Plot Devices & Literary Techniques

The MacGuffin (The Love Letter)

An object that drives the plot forward, despite its true nature being less important than its effect.

The love letter found in 'The Kreutzer Sonata' serves as a classic MacGuffin. Its content and perceived authorship are the initial catalyst for the entire plot, driving the lawyer's obsession and investigation. However, the true significance of the letter is not in its actual message or sender (which turns out to be a misunderstanding), but in its ability to propel the protagonist into action, exposing his deep-seated insecurities and prejudices. The letter itself is merely a trigger for a much deeper psychological exploration of the narrator.

Dual Narrative / Shifting Perspectives

The story is told from alternating viewpoints, initially focused on one character before introducing another.

The novel employs a shifting narrative perspective, primarily focusing on the unnamed lawyer's first-person account of his paranoia, and then gradually introducing Yonatan's story, often in the third person or through the lawyer's piecemeal discoveries. This device creates suspense and allows the reader to experience the lawyer's subjective, often misguided, interpretation of events before slowly revealing Yonatan's objective reality. It also highlights the parallel yet distinct struggles of two men from different backgrounds, ultimately converging their stories in unexpected ways.

Dramatic Irony

The audience is aware of information that the characters are not, creating tension.

Dramatic irony is a key element throughout the lawyer's investigation. The reader is often privy to subtle clues or contextual information that the lawyer, blinded by his jealousy, either misses or misinterprets. For example, the reader might infer Yonatan's innocence or the true nature of the letter before the lawyer does, building tension and highlighting the tragic flaw in the protagonist's perception. This device allows the reader to anticipate the eventual revelation and observe the lawyer's self-deception unfold.

Symbolism (The Kreutzer Sonata)

A literary work within the story that reflects and foreshadows themes.

Tolstoy's 'The Kreutzer Sonata' is not just a plot device for holding the letter; it functions as a powerful symbol. The original novel deals with themes of marital jealousy, infidelity, and the destructive nature of possessive love, directly mirroring the lawyer's descent into paranoia. By embedding this specific book within the narrative, Kashua immediately establishes a thematic framework, foreshadowing the lawyer's emotional journey and providing an intertextual commentary on the destructive potential of unchecked suspicion within a marriage.

Critical analysis

Notable Quotes

“It’s as if, when the first person singular is no longer a possibility, the second person singular takes its place.”

— The narrator reflects on the shift in his identity and relationships after his life changes.

“A man’s life is nothing but a series of adjustments to his disappointments.”

— The protagonist ponders the nature of human existence and coping mechanisms.

“The worst part is not the lying, but the constant fear of being caught.”

— Referring to the narrator's secret life and the anxiety it brings.

“He had always believed that his job was to tell stories, not to live them.”

— The protagonist, a writer, grapples with the blurring lines between his fiction and reality.

“Memory is a cruel master, especially when it brings back what you’ve tried so hard to forget.”

— Reflecting on past events that continue to haunt the narrator.

“You can change your clothes, your address, even your name, but you can never escape yourself.”

— A realization about the inescapable nature of one's true identity.

“Every secret is a burden, and some burdens are heavier than others.”

— The narrator's thoughts on the weight of his hidden life.

“He wondered if anyone truly knew him, or if he was just a collection of roles he played for different people.”

— An internal questioning of his authenticity in relationships.

“The past is not dead; it is not even past. It’s just waiting for you to stumble upon it again.”

— A reflection on the persistent influence of past events on the present.

“Sometimes, the only way to move forward is to pretend you’re someone else.”

— The narrator's justification for his adopted identity.

“He had built a life on sand, and now the tide was coming in.”

— A metaphor for the fragility of the protagonist's fabricated existence.

“The greatest tragedy is not failing, but never having tried to be who you truly are.”

— An implicit critique of the narrator's choices and his hidden self.

“To be seen is to be vulnerable, and vulnerability was a luxury he could not afford.”

— Explaining the protagonist's reluctance to reveal his true self.

“Every man has two lives: the one he lives, and the one he pretends to live.”

— A core theme of the novel, reflecting the protagonist's dual existence.

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The novel follows a successful Arab Israeli criminal attorney in Jerusalem who discovers a love letter in his wife's handwriting tucked inside a used copy of Tolstoy's 'The Kreutzer Sonata.' Consumed by jealousy, he embarks on a quest to find the letter's recipient, a man named Yonatan, unraveling a complex web of identities and secrets.

About the author

Sayed Kashua

Biography coming soon.

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