The Third Temple, Yishai Sarid; translated from Hebrew by Yardenne Greenspan

The word to describe this book is original, but is also ironically funny, and deeply, deeply serious. The cadence of the writing and the tone are biblical, but we have TV and scanners to enter The Temple, reading a microchip implanted below the skin in the neck of every Jewish person in the first year after birth. Published in 2015, and just released in English, it is frighteningly prescient. After a nuclear attack, Israel has reverted to a biblical kingdom, complete with animal sacrifice (are we headed there now as religious fundamentalism takes hold in a modern sophisticated democratic society?). I’m not an expert in translation but this one seems superb. The narrator is Jonathan, who has been wounded by a grenade meant for his father. Despite his maimed body, he is in charge of the temple sacrifices. Jonathan is the wounded third son of the war hero, Jehoaz, who has become a demagogue. Jonathan, imprisoned by the Amalekites, writes his chronicle from prison. Oh, remember the microchips? They need constant repair because the talented techies who developed the system have left the country. (Sound familiar?) Same problem with the airplanes in the air force. The start-up nation is in trouble. The novel has many interesting characters; David, the first son, goes off to battle, but mainly for the photo ops. Joel, son number two, is so fed up with work in the temple that he takes off with his family for Eilat just before the holidays. As my friend Rita says, the book is an echo of history and the state of our world today.