Chains of Sand by Jemma Wayne will haunt you long after you have reached the last page.  It’s a wonderful story, which draws you in from the very beginning and grips you until the final reveal. And it’s well written too.

This is a book about identity, about what it means to be Jewish in London and in Israel, about what life is like for Israeli citizens, and for Palestinians living in Gaza. It explores religious beliefs, racism and anti-semitism, and looks at the strength of family ties and the power of relationships.  There is also a strong thread of feminism, cleverly worked into the story given that the two main characters (both of whom we can empathise wholeheartedly with) are male.

And for me, showing us more than one side of the debate is perhaps the main strength of this book; as we follow the lives of the two men, one of whom is desperate to leave Israel and the other to move there permanently, and also dip into the lives of several other characters, both male and female, we are made aware that of course there is no easy answer to any of the huge questions which the author raises.

But above all, this is a book about people, not facts or philosophies or doctrines.  And those people have lodged themselves firmly in my head.

Chains of Sand by Jemma Wayne is published by Legend Press and available as a Paperback Original priced £9.99 from 7 July 2016.