‘Ekra Lecha Gever’ is a rousing novel revolving around Yuval Telem, a young platoon commander serving in an elite infantry battalion of the Israel Defense Forces during the second Lebanon war of summer 2006. Yuval is suddenly thrust into two new and unfamiliar realms, as he leads his troops into battle in the Gaza Strip and deep inside Lebanon and at the same time tries to deal with a passionate infatuation with a female soldier, who is herself torn between him and her former lover. Ohad Rosen weaves together with great skill a captivating and complex figure of a young commanding officer in the midst of battle, thrown into an emotional turmoil of hope, passion and pain. ‘Ekra Lecha Gever’ is a stirring and sensual novel, which deals clearly and directly with the human dimensions of war and courageously examines the moral, ideological and sexual boundaries, stretched to the extreme. Ohad Rosen, born 1985, is the vice president of a news organization, a commentator on foreign and national security issues in Israeli and international media and has been chosen as one of Israel’s most promising 40 young entrepreneurs by TheMarker magazine in Sept. 2009. ‘Ekra Lecha Gever’ is his first published book in Hebrew. ‘Ekra Lecha Gever’ immediately become a best-seller in Israel, sold already three editions and was picked as the recommendation of the month (for May 2010) by Israel’s largest chain of bookstores, ‘Tzomet Sfarim’. Reviews: Effi Ben-Avraham, Galei Tsahal Radio: In his maiden novel, Ohad Rosen skillfully and authentically paints the figure of a young combat commander, dedicated to the fate of his men in battle while he himself takes his first steps in the romantic world. The sense of uncertainty and confusion which pervades the story is characteristic of the days of the second Lebanon war. It is against this backdrop that the protagonist’s struggle with his love of country, of the men under his command and of a young lover who torments him plays out. This is a sensitive and touching journey into adulthood of an extraordinary Israeli young man - I can hardly hold my breath for the cinematic version.
