Songs for the Brokenhearted by Ayelet Tsabari is a tale of immigration, identity, and family spanning 1950s Israel and 1990s New York. Read my review.
Ayelet Tsabari’s Songs for the Brokenhearted follows the lives of Saida and her daughter Zohara across two intertwined timelines. Set against the backdrop of 1950s Israel and 1990s New York, the novel explores the generational impact of immigration, culture, and family history. Learn more about the book and why I gave it three out of five stars.
What is the book about?
1950. Thousands of Yemeni Jews have immigrated to the newly founded Israel in search of a better life. In an overcrowded immigrant camp in Rosh Ha’ayin, Yaqub, a shy young man, happens upon Saida, a beautiful girl singing by the river. In the midst of chaos and uncertainty, they fall in love. But they weren’t supposed to; Saida is married and has a child, and a married woman has no place befriending another man.
1995. Thirty-something Zohara, Saida’s daughter, has been living in New York City—a city that feels much less complicated than Israel, where she grew up wishing that her skin was lighter, that her illiterate mother’s Yemeni music was quieter, and that the father who always favored her was alive. She hasn’t looked back since leaving home, rarely in touch with her mother or sister, Lizzie, and missing out on her nephew Yoni’s childhood. But when Lizzie calls to tell her their mother has died, she gets on a plane to Israel with no return ticket.
Soon Zohara finds herself on an unexpected path that leads to shocking truths about her family—including dangers that lurk for impressionable young men and secrets that force her to question everything she thought she knew about her parents, her heritage, and her own future. [Goodreads.com]
My thoughts
In the 1950s, Saida starts a new chapter in her life as a resident of a Yemeni immigrant camp in Israel. Amidst this struggle, she meets the love of her life—who is not her husband—forcing her to reconcile personal desires with cultural expectations. Fast forward to 1995. Saida’s daughter, Zohara, must return to Israel from her home in New York following her mother’s death. Zohara pieces together her mother’s life. She uncovers Saida’s experiences in 1950s’ Israel and begins to understand how those experiences shaped her own identity.
This novel is a beautifully layered exploration of what it meant to be a Yemeni Jewish woman in the 1950s. It also explores how the weight of that history reverberates through generations. Tsabari’s writing is smart and compelling, and she can deliver a story filled with resilience, love, and heartbreak.
As someone who loves a well-crafted story, this was my first time reading Ayelet Tsabari. It definitely won’t be my last. If you’re looking for a story that stays with you, Songs for the Brokenhearted is a must-read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced reader’s copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.