Dunsk: Lithuania, 1874: brought home dying from the mill, an old man leaves his new grandson the only thing of value he owns - his name.
In one Jewish family, the forename Israel is handed down from generation to generation. But as parts of the family move across the world - beginning in Lithuania at the end of the 19th century and finishing in London at the beginning of the 21st - different Israels in different countries have very different relationships with the name and the weighty expectations it represents.
By bringing out the comic and quotidian in 130 years of Jewish history, Jeremy Gavron paints a wonderfully fresh and convincing portrait of a dissipating identity.
Winner of the Encore Award 2003 for Best Second Novel.
