The Lonely Tree by Yael Politis

Tonia is not sure about living in her country, this ‘not-even-a-country’. This is reflected in her love- hate relation with her father Josef, a most staunch supporter of this promised land.

Why? Well first of all Josef asks his small family, his wife Leah, Rina, Natan and Tonia, to live with Uncle Shmuel and Aunt Rivka in their tiny apartment in Tel Aviv. Tonia thinks it is even worse when he takes his family off to his beloved kibbutz, Kfar Etzion.

Life during Israel’s struggle for independence is harsh. Yet the hikes Josef organises for just the five of them are exhausting but magical. Throughout, the news from Europe is growing more and more alarming.
 
Tonia creates her own world by finding an ingenious way of enrolling in the coveted Gymnasium in Jerusalem and by dreaming about her ideal home. It is a dream house in America, full of bright lights with plenty of water and a kitchen with a large wooden table to entertain her family. 

And then she meets Amos, tall with ever so long legs and dark complexion, her ‘Italian boy’. Both have their hearts set on different ideals, yet they are unmistakably drawn to each other.

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