Ronit Matalon (1959–2017)

Kurze Inhaltsangabe
Kurz vor ihrer Hochzeit schliesst sich Margi in ihrem Zimmer ein und verkündet: „Ich heirate nicht.“ Aber warum? Die Braut bleibt stumm – was bei den anderen einen Tumult an schmerzlichen Erinnerungen und unterdrückten Konflikten hervorruft. Der Bräutigam Matti kann nicht anders, als an ihrer Liebe zu zweifeln; ihre Mutter Nadja muss daran denken, dass sie vor zehn Jahren ihre jüngere Tochter Natalie und vor fünf Jahren ihren Mann verloren hat; Mattis Eltern zerbrechen sich über die Kosten des Fests den Kopf; Margis Cousin Ilan, der Schmuck und Frauenkleider liebt und eine enge Beziehung zur schwerhörigen Grossmutter Savtona hat, will unbedingt helfen und steht nur im Weg. Als alle Überredungskünste zu versagen drohen, scheint einzig die alte Savtona den Schlüssel zum Herzen der Braut zu finden ...… (meer)

There is more than one way to read this novella. You can read it as a comedy. You can read it as a parody. Or you can read it as a commentary of the modern Israeli society. Either way is valid and either way is incomplete.

At the day of her wedding, a bride locks herself in her room and refuses to come out. 5 hours later, with only a few hours left until the wedding (which unlike most Western weddings is in the evening), we find 4 people in front of her door: her mother, her grandmother, her cousin and the groom-to-be. We never hear from the bride directly (except for a poem and a sign saying sorry) and we never meet the woman who chose not to marry in such an unconventional way. What we know about her we know from the people who try to convince her to open the door. The initial 4 we meet are soon joined by the parents of the groom and for the next few hours, we see the interaction of these 6 people who come up with idea after an idea on how to get the young woman out of the room - they call a psychologist from "Regretful Brides", they call a man with a ladder (who happens to be from the Authority and ends up getting arrested because someone calls the police and claims he is a terrorist), they finally call to cancel the wedding.

And somewhere in the middle of that family drama (or comedy if you prefer, albeit from the black variety), emerges a side of Israel which is not often seen - parts of it are ugly, part of it are almost incomprehensible (and probably are a lot clearer to someone locally - the change of the name of the groom's mother a few years earlier fro Penina to Peninit for example does not tell me anything but it probably carries its own message. After I finished the novella, I looked up the name and the Urban dictionary supplied "a strange and large girl usually large in the bust or butt area. Will usually eat anything in sight" while Penina is a traditional name. That description kinda fits in a way but there is probably more to the subtext that I don't understand). It makes one stop and wonder why it is the money and the others' opinions that make the characters we meet change. Noone really seem to care why the bride locked that door -- noone but the groom and even that comes later. In the telling of the story emerge other stories - the other lost daughter, the cousin who was not accepted to serve in the Army (in Israel where everyone does). And in all the craziness, the lucid moments of family togetherness seem even more surreal - the grandmother who everyone believes not to be fully there wanting to pay for the doctor, the groom going through all stages of grief.

We never learn why Margie decided to lock that door. But by the end of the novella, I think I would have done the same if I had to deal with that family. So there is that.

I am still not entirely sure I liked the novella or how I am supposed to take it. But I am glad I read it.

The author won one of the big Israeli awards for it a day before dying from cancer. I've never even heard her name before and I found the style highly readable. How much of it was from the author and how much from the translator Jessica Cohen is unclear but I plan to explore more of Matalon's writing.… (meer)

This is a skinny book in translation from the Hebrew. It got rave reviews and is a worthwhile quick read, but has some depth to discover too. The action takes place within one day: Margie and Matti's wedding day. Margie has locked herself in the bedroom of her mother's apartment and has stated she does not want to get married. Everything revolves around this. From her we learn the backstory of her relationship with Matti. He is understanding and tender and enraged and powerless in turns. The future inlaws are footing the bill, so there is tension there as the day ticks away and guests have expectations. Margie's mother Nadia seems like an enabler but she is carrying unresolved grief. The two comic relief characters, happily unaware Gramsy and flagrant cousin Ilan provide some commentary and drama as many efforts are expended to extricate Margie, from a pyschologist specializing in wedding cold feet to a ladder truck to reach her window. Everyone thinks they have a solution, but Margie has her own agenda. In such a small space, the book manages to touch on family relationships, political situations in Tel Aviv, the dynamics between men and women, and personal autonomy. It's a gem.… (meer)