Intimate Solitude: A Novel

"Barasch Rubinstein... does a marvelous job of bringing to vivid life the political and cultural landscape of Israel during terribly turbulent years." — Kirkus In the 1980s, two childhood friends from Jerusalem establish a medical equipment startup. Their hunger for success propels them to professional heights but erodes the emotional affinity between them. While the firm grows and does exceptionally well, personal conflicts between the two, symbolic of a social change, threaten to undermine their achievements. Spanning from 1968 until 2016, the plot follows the two entrepreneurs against the backdrop of Israeli history. Tensions between Sephardi and Ashkenazi Israelis, military conflicts, and, most importantly, the profound consequences—both positive and negative—of embracing capitalist values shape the lives of the protagonists. Intimate Solitude offers a distinct perspective on the changing nature of Israeli society, uncovering social and political undercurrents.