The novel An Occupation of Angels is like an Israeli Da Vinci Code–with angels. Huge, murderous, angry angels.
In the book, set during the Cold War, angels like Raphael,Gabriel, and Metatron appear for no apparent reason. They quickly blend into human society, occupying both the highest and lowest rungs of social classes–they are priests and gang leaders, teachers and drug kingpins.
Killarney, the novel’s protagonist, is a young spy who works for a British intelligence agency. She’s ordered to murder Raphael, and soon she finds herself in hot water with all kinds of Powers that Be, both political and divine. Before long, Killarney is tracking down a secret Nazi cult, teaming up with the new (Jewish) director of the KGB, and double-crossing everyone from her bosses to God (yes, God).
It’s possible to analyze the hell out of this book–an Israeli author writing from the point of view of a British/German secret agent using krav maga, an Israeli martial art–but it’s much more fun to just sit back and enjoy the high-pitched, bizarre, adrenalized ride.
Author Lavie Tidhar also blogged on MyJewishLearning.com’s Author Blog.
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