This lengthy novel by Israeli writer David Grossman has a slow start and a frustratingly ambiguous ending but the rest of it readily captured my attention and imagination.
Perhaps it helps if you have a boy child of your own since much of the story is about the raising of two boys and their inevitable entry into a conscript army.
And the fear this creates in their parents, especially in a country as beset by enemies as Israel. That the author lost his own son in combat while writing the story makes it all the more poignant. After some thought, I even bought the ambiguity, given that it reflects the real situation and there are plenty of hints to help you guess what will happen—at least to the parents.
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 