LOVE by Maayan Eitan

Translated by Maayan Eitan

When Maayan Eitan burst onto the Israeli literary scene with her hot-as-a-thousand-suns novel, Love, critics and readers alike became obsessed with the question of whether it was autobiographical. For Eitan it became something of a bugbear - no, it was not based on her life, but why ask the question? Had Love not been about a prostitute in an unnamed Israeli city, would anyone have cared? Still, the obsession spoke to the authenticity of Eitan’s voice. It also went far to validating what she has to say about the dynamics of sex and power in hyper-masculine societies.

Love is as beautiful as it is intense. We follow Libby through her daily routine, being ferried around by pimps and minders, engaging in any number of sex acts with a whole array of clients - some kind or shy, others thoughtless or outright denigrating. More importantly, we gain insight into her inner life, as she strives to free herself from the crushing weight of male domination. There’s an undercurrent of Thelma & Louise about it all, one where dignity and rebellion go hand and hand. When the penny drops, it is as if the air has returned to her world.

Marvellous.

Love by Maayan Eitan (Tr. Maayan Eitan)
Penguin, 2022
101 pages