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Known Suffering is the first work of literary fiction that tells a Jewish-American backstory to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Set far away from the fighting, the novel explores the emotional depths of a personal struggle involving love, loss, and contrition.
Set in Southern California in 2010, Sam-mid-thirties, introverted, well-meaning, a bit quirky-finds love in artist and free spirit Del Rojas. Swept into a world of brunches, hikes, and gallery openings that typify gay Los Angeles, Sam and Del enjoy days of easy rapport and nights of passion. It's a romance that could give way to a lifetime of togetherness. At least, that's what Sam hopes.
Sam is happier than he's been in a while. Not even his inconsolable friend Simon can bring him down. But then comes a flare-up of violence in the Middle East. Sam turns inward, meditating on a deeply felt moral dilemma.
Del, a lapsed Catholic, cannot fathom Sam's seemingly unwavering support for Israel. Sam, scared to admit his doubts, pushes back. What had been a mutual respect for their differences turns into an escalating battle over progressive bona fides.
As the issue of Israel looms, Sam experiences a vision he doesn't understand. Meanwhile, an unfolding personal tragedy in his life comes to the fore-a secret he has kept hidden. Sam wrestles with upholding lifelong principles, maintaining his faith, and preserving his new newfound love.
Even before the events of October 7th brought war to Israel and Gaza, a generation of American Jews struggled to maintain unconditional support for Zionism given their unease with certain illiberal state policies. Many aspects of the conflict go tacitly undebated within the Jewish-American community, leaving few outlets for open dialogue and unguarded emotion.
For some, it's a matter of defending a religious homeland and fighting antisemitism or Jew hatred. For others, it's about a desire for peace or even justice. The protagonist Sam's complex personal struggles-with God and the notion of human fallibility, serve as metaphor for a contemporary political issue that seems very much out of control.
Known Suffering explores hard truths in a memoir form. Woven together in flashbacks, the book carefully addresses the idea of separation, the importance of place, and the sometime need for boldness.
