Our selection for May, Victorious by Yishai Sarid, raises profound and timely questions about military service and its place in Israel’s national psyche. The novel’s narrator, Abigail, is a military psychologist and lieutenant colonel charged with both training young soldiers for combat and helping front line troops to process their experiences. Her position is complicated when her own son, Shauli, reaches the age of conscription and chooses to enlist as a paratrooper. Victorious probes how we navigate patriotism, national identity, loyalty, and military service.
