THE ACT OF STORY STATEMENT
The grieving daughter of a murdered right-wing leader teams up with a left-leaning journalist to uncover the truth behind an unexpected death of Arab mother and child, and the subsequent coverup that brings Jerusalem to the brink of war.
THE ANTAGONIST PLOTS THE POINT
Menahem Ditner, a close friend of Adara’s murdered father and her ex-father-in-law, is the health minister intent on becoming Israel’s first prime minister, representing Israel’s ultra-right settler movement. A savvy politician, Ditner does everything in his power to maintain his lead in the polls and ensure victory in the upcoming election. He is using his friend’s murder for sympathy votes and enlists the support of Adara’s family for a show of unity.
Adara refuses to participate in the charade. She blames Ditner for abandoning her father at a time of need to save his political skin and for distorting her father’s legacy. She resents him for pushing his son to divorce her and denying he had any part in it.
Forced to enlist Ditner’s help after an Arab woman dies on her watch, Adara fears she has made a deal with the devil. As the truth behind the woman’s death is uncovered, Adara realizes that Ditner, his motives and his relationship with her father are not what she took them to be.
CONJURING YOUR BREAKOUT TITLE
The Hundred Year Kingdom (current)
Legacy
Fertile land
DECIDING YOUR GENRE AND APPROACHING COMPARABLES
Genre: Upmarket Fiction, Thriller, Mystery.
Comps:
In the Woods/ Tana French
The Dry/ Jane Harper
The Last Thing He Told Me/ Laura Dave
The Plot/ Jean Hanff Korelitz
CORE WOUND AND THE PRIMARY CONFLICT
Struggling to “accept God’s will” in the wake of a personal tragedy, Adara pursues an investigation into a government conspiracy, discovering that the truth is more complicated than she had ever imagined.
OTHER MATTERS OF CONFLICT: TWO MORE LEVELS
Primary Conflict
Rattled by the sudden death of an Arab woman on her watch, Adara feels it is her duty to figure out what caused it. But everyone around her – the hospital, the health ministry, even the dead woman’s husband – seem intent on covering up. When evidence points to a possible government conspiracy, Adara must reconsider her loyalties and beliefs in a race to find out the truth before it's too late.
Social Conflict
Teaming up with a liberal journalist who knows more than he shares, Adara must decide just how must she can trust him and his motives, a task further complicated by their growing attraction.
Inner Conflict
Brought up in a right-wing religious household, Adara holds on to her politics and her faith in honor of her late father. But what does “accepting God’s will” mean in the context of her life? And how to reconcile her family’s politics with what the injustice she uncovers throughout her investigation.
THE INCREDIBLE IMPORTANCE OF SETTING
Jerusalem:
Jerusalem is a city that lives in the deep shadow of history. Adara’s father said that “This city cares more for the dead than it does for the living,” and she agrees. Strained by land disputes, health crisis and hopeless politics, Arab East Jerusalem is on the cusp of revolt. The unexplained death of a healthy Arab mother erupts in deadly violence, and the military moves in.
The hospital where Adara works is the embodiment of the city’s story. Built by the German emperor in the nineteenth century, the hospital sits on the junction between the Arab east and the Jewish west and serves both communities. It is an island of co-existence surrounded by intolerance, but it is not immune to political pressures.
Fetal center:
A state-of-the-art research facility conceived as a private-public project by Adara’s father and brought to fruition by the health minister, Menahem Ditner. The Fetal Center is devoted to ridding Israel’s Palestinian population of prevalent hereditary conditions brought on by consanguineous marriages. The new wing of the Fetal Center is being built on private Palestinian land appropriated for this purpose.
Neve-Or:
The West Bank settlement, Neve Or, was founded by Adara’s beloved father and his friend and confrere, Menahem Ditner. Starting out as an outpost by historic Jewish ruins, Neve-Or grows into a prosperous suburban town, swallowing the lone Arab village “that had once given these hills their name.”
Neve Or had been Adara’s home for as long as she could remember and up until her father’s death, she intended to remain there, raising her children and practicing medicine, accompanying her father on his evening walks. The inherent conflict between occupation and Jewish moral teachings is evident in the high-tech electric fence surrounding the town and the wall separating Jewish roads from Palestinians. It is evident in the proliferation of military bases and the controversial settlement militias who often take law and order into their own hands.
As the investigation progresses, Adara is increasingly aware of the injustice embedded within this system and she struggles to understand her father’s notion of “integrating” the Palestinians, and how a benevolent and humane Jewish rule can even be possible.
THE ACT OF STORY STATEMENT The grieving daughter of a murdered right-wing leader teams up with a left-leaning journalist to uncover the truth behind an unexpected death of Arab mother and child, and the subsequent coverup that brings Jerusalem to the brink of war. THE ANTAGONIST PLOTS THE POINT Menahem Ditner, a close friend of Adara’s murdered father and her ex-father-in-law, is the health minister intent on becoming Israel’s first prime minister, representing Israel’s ultra-right settler movement. A savvy politician, Ditner does everything in his power to maintain his lead in the polls and ensure victory in the upcoming election. He is using his friend’s murder for sympathy votes and enlists the support of Adara’s family for a show of unity. Adara refuses to participate in the charade. She blames Ditner for abandoning her father at a time of need to save his political skin and for distorting her father’s legacy. She resents him for pushing his son to divorce her and denying he had any part in it. Forced to enlist Ditner’s help after an Arab woman dies on her watch, Adara fears she has made a deal with the devil. As the truth behind the woman’s death is uncovered, Adara realizes that Ditner, his motives and his relationship with her father are not what she took them to be. CONJURING YOUR BREAKOUT TITLE The Hundred Year Kingdom (current) Legacy Fertile land DECIDING YOUR GENRE AND APPROACHING COMPARABLES Genre: Upmarket Fiction, Thriller, Mystery. Comps: In the Woods/ Tana French The Dry/ Jane Harper The Last Thing He Told Me/ Laura Dave The Plot/ Jean Hanff Korelitz CORE WOUND AND THE PRIMARY CONFLICT Struggling to “accept God’s will” in the wake of a personal tragedy, Adara pursues an investigation into a government conspiracy, discovering that the truth is more complicated than she had ever imagined. OTHER MATTERS OF CONFLICT: TWO MORE LEVELS Primary Conflict Rattled by the sudden death of an Arab woman on her watch, Adara feels it is her duty to figure out what caused it. But everyone around her – the hospital, the health ministry, even the dead woman’s husband – seem intent on covering up. When evidence points to a possible government conspiracy, Adara must reconsider her loyalties and beliefs in a race to find out the truth before it's too late. Social Conflict Teaming up with a liberal journalist who knows more than he shares, Adara must decide just how must she can trust him and his motives, a task further complicated by their growing attraction. Inner Conflict Brought up in a right-wing religious household, Adara holds on to her politics and her faith in honor of her late father. But what does “accepting God’s will” mean in the context of her life? And how to reconcile her family’s politics with what the injustice she uncovers throughout her investigation. THE INCREDIBLE IMPORTANCE OF SETTING Jerusalem: Jerusalem is a city that lives in the deep shadow of history. Adara’s father said that “This city cares more for the dead than it does for the living,” and she agrees. Strained by land disputes, health crisis and hopeless politics, Arab East Jerusalem is on the cusp of revolt. The unexplained death of a healthy Arab mother erupts in deadly violence, and the military moves in. The hospital where Adara works is the embodiment of the city’s story. Built by the German emperor in the nineteenth century, the hospital sits on the junction between the Arab east and the Jewish west and serves both communities. It is an island of co-existence surrounded by intolerance, but it is not immune to political pressures. Fetal center: A state-of-the-art research facility conceived as a private-public project by Adara’s father and brought to fruition by the health minister, Menahem Ditner. The Fetal Center is devoted to ridding Israel’s Palestinian population of prevalent hereditary conditions brought on by consanguineous marriages. The new wing of the Fetal Center is being built on private Palestinian land appropriated for this purpose. Neve-Or: The West Bank settlement, Neve Or, was founded by Adara’s beloved father and his friend and confrere, Menahem Ditner. Starting out as an outpost by historic Jewish ruins, Neve-Or grows into a prosperous suburban town, swallowing the lone Arab village “that had once given these hills their name.” Neve Or had been Adara’s home for as long as she could remember and up until her father’s death, she intended to remain there, raising her children and practicing medicine, accompanying her father on his evening walks. The inherent conflict between occupation and Jewish moral teachings is evident in the high-tech electric fence surrounding the town and the wall separating Jewish roads from Palestinians. It is evident in the proliferation of military bases and the controversial settlement militias who often take law and order into their own hands. As the investigation progresses, Adara is increasingly aware of the injustice embedded within this system and she struggles to understand her father’s notion of “integrating” the Palestinians, and how a benevolent and humane Jewish rule can even be possible.