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Summary
Chapter 17
Kitty is sad about leaving Palestine, and this surprises her. Karen is distraught over Dov. She has no idea if he survived the raid. Twenty Maccabees were killed and fifteen were captured. Since the escape was such a big blow to the British, it is considered a success. Kitty asks Jordana for any news about Dov and Ari, but she rudely dismisses Kitty.
Kitty will live in San Francisco and Mark will help her get settled. She feels guilty for leaving and looks through old records of children she has treated. She is startled when a man named Mussa appears in her office. He introduces himself as a Druse, an Islamic sect that have always been friends of the Jewish people. He tells Kitty that Ari is in his village and badly injured. He is asking for Kitty. Kitty gathers some supplies and she and Karen set out with Mussa and a group of children who will offer a cover story at the British checkpoints along the way. It’s a long, difficult drive to the village. When they arrive, Kitty examines Ari and determines that the bullet in his leg must come out. She gives Ari brandy to get him drunk and then performs the surgery with rudimentary supplies. Kitty removes the bullet.
Chapter Eighteen
Eventually, the children have to return to Gan Dafna, but Kitty stays. Kitty says that they will reschedule their arrangements to go to America. Kitty cares for Ari with her usual efficiency and the women in the home admire how she gives orders to the men. Once Ari is stable, Kitty becomes detached and cold. She argues with Ari and accuses him of only ever needing her for her professional abilities. She tells Ari he does not know the meaning of love.
Chapter Nineteen
At Kitty’s request, Bruce Sutherland has gotten two rooms at a hotel near the village where Ari is recuperating. Sutherland tells Kitty that Dov is alive and warns here there will be a war and it does not look good for the Jewish people. Still, Sutherland marvels at what the Jewish people have accomplished in Palestine. He thinks there’s a chance they can be victorious. Kitty goes back to Gan Dafna, and Jordana tries to thank her for helping Ari. Kitty is dismissive of her.
In August of 1947, the UN decides there will be two state solution in Palestine that will require a vote. Six thousand Jewish immigrants will be allowed in each month from displaced persons camps. Yishuv Central and the World Zionists are not completely satisfied with the plan for the land partition, but they accept it.
Kitty prepares once again to leave. She goes over some paperwork and looks at the records of the children she has helped at Gan Dafna. Kitty makes the decision to stay in Palestine.
Analysis
Kitty grapples with her past and her future after she rushes to Ari’s aid when he is shot. The two have not seen each other since Karen rejected Ari when they visited the Sea of Galilee. Now, Ari is vulnerable and has requested that Kitty come to his aid. This illustrates not only that Ari trusts her regardless of their complicated relationship, but that there is no one else that Ari can safely ask for help. While Kitty is able to set aside her feelings for Ari and efficiently and skillfully deal with his injury, the procedure affects her emotionally in a way that would not occur with any other patient. She begins to sob uncontrollably when she removes the bullet that had been lodged in Ari’s leg. As Ari recovers, Kitty realizes the power that Palestine and the people she has met have over her. She becomes conflicted and wonders about her future that she thought was settled. Kitty never meant to end up in Palestine per se, but followed Karen there, hoping to eventually bring her to America. Now Kitty wonders whether or not it is in Karen’s best interests to leave Palestine and her love for Karen is causing her to doubt her plans. Then just when she had made definite plans to leave, Ari, who Kitty also cares for deeply, has kept her back. It seems that all of Kitty’s desires lead to Palestine and deepen her ties there.
When she argues with Ari, Kitty does so because she still does not understand how the Jewish people around her live. Even though the two have become close and have strong feelings for each other, there is a wall of misunderstanding between them. Jewish people in the midst of fighting for their freedom do not know whether or not they will live to see another day. This affects everything in their lives, including how they love each other. Kitty is looking for Ari to fall into the traditional western love story to which she is accustomed. She realizes in Chapter Eighteen that Ari will never be that man. This chapter is also pivotal because even though Kitty still seems superficial in some ways, a weakness Jordana often points out, she is anything but weak. She proves herself to be a strong and brave caregiver, and capable of things she and others thought beyond her abilities. Kitty is undergoing changes in this part of the novel that will teach her more about herself and the Jewish people. Ultimately, what she learns will keep her in Palestine and make her a true friend of the Jewish people.
Despite Kitty’s deepening ties there, she has again made plans to leave Palestine, this time on the eve of the UN vote for partition, but she is still very much torn about her next steps. She knows the awful reality that faces the Jewish people during the impending fight for their land. They are brutally outnumbered and have few and outdated weapons. Moreover, Kitty is only half-hearted in her motivation to leave Palestine after her time with Ari during his recovery. As she goes through records of children that she has helped the night before she is supposed to leave, she is reminded of the mental and physical trauma sustained by the children in concentration camps. She also knows how these same children became strong and thrived once they arrived in Palestine. Kitty does not understand what drives the children to it, but she knows that they only want to live and fight for their country. Suddenly she understands that she needs to be with them while they do this, leading to her decision to stay in Palestine.
