Second Person Singular Summary

The novel follows a successful Arab Israeli criminal attorney in Jerusalem who discovers a love letter in his wife's handwriting tucked inside a used copy of Tolstoy's 'The Kreutzer Sonata.' Consumed by jealousy, he embarks on a quest to find the letter's recipient, a man named Yonatan, unraveling a complex web of identities and secrets.

The main characters are the unnamed Arab Israeli criminal attorney, a man striving for a sophisticated Israeli image; his wife, a social worker-turned-artist whose past becomes central to the plot; and Yonatan, the mysterious previous owner of the book and recipient of the love letter, whose identity is more intricate than initially perceived.

The love letter acts as the catalyst for the attorney's descent into suspicion and obsession. It propels him to meticulously investigate his wife's past and Yonatan's identity, leading him to uncover uncomfortable truths and make choices that ultimately threaten to dismantle his carefully constructed life and relationships.

Tolstoy's novel is more than just a plot device; it mirrors the attorney's escalating jealousy and paranoia. 'The Kreutzer Sonata' deals with marital infidelity and the destructive power of suspicion, directly reflecting the protagonist's emotional state and foreshadowing potential tragic outcomes in his own marriage.

The attorney discovers that 'Yonatan' is not just a separate individual, but is, in fact, his wife's former identity. She had lived for a period as a Jewish woman named Yonatan, a secret she kept from her husband, revealing a profound and complex struggle with her identity and past.

The attorney's desire to maintain a sophisticated Israeli Arab image, complete with a Mercedes and visits to bookstores, highlights his aspiration to belong in Israeli society while navigating his Palestinian identity. This quest for acceptance ironically blinds him to the complexities of his wife's own identity struggles and her past life as Yonatan.

The narrative subtly hints at the twist through the wife's artistic pursuits and her previous career as a social worker, both of which suggest a deeper engagement with identity and societal roles. Her recommendation of 'The Kreutzer Sonata' to her husband also retrospectively appears as a loaded suggestion, given her own secrets.

His fluency in both Arabic and Hebrew symbolizes his liminal position between two cultures: his Palestinian heritage and his integration into Israeli society. This dual identity allows him to navigate different social circles but also underscores his internal conflict and the challenges of belonging in a complex, often segregated, society.

Initially a successful and seemingly content man, the attorney becomes increasingly paranoid, obsessive, and isolated. His jealousy consumes his thoughts, leading him to neglect his family and profession, ultimately eroding his self-perception and the foundations of his life as he pursues a truth he may not be prepared for.

Living as Yonatan likely caused significant psychological strain for the wife, forcing her to suppress her true identity and heritage. This experience suggests a deep internal conflict regarding her place in Israeli society and the lengths she felt she had to go to achieve a sense of belonging or opportunity, leaving lasting emotional scars.

Both the attorney and his wife engage in performative identity. The attorney consciously cultivates an image of a 'sophisticated Israeli Arab' to fit into certain societal strata. His wife, more drastically, performs the identity of 'Yonatan,' a Jewish woman, highlighting the pressures and sacrifices individuals make to navigate complex social and ethnic landscapes.

Self-deception is central to the protagonist's journey. He initially deceives himself about the stability of his marriage and his own contentment, allowing his jealousy to fester unchecked. More profoundly, he is self-deceived about his wife's past, unable to fathom the complexities of her identity until forced to confront them, shattering his idealized view of her and their life.

The novel portrays Arab Israeli identity as multifaceted and often fraught with internal and external pressures. It highlights the constant negotiation between heritage and integration, the desire for acceptance, and the challenges of maintaining authenticity in a society marked by ethnic and cultural divisions. Both protagonists struggle with how to define and live their identities.

The attorney's quest for truth is largely destructive. While he uncovers secrets, the process shatters his marriage, his peace of mind, and his carefully constructed life. The 'truth' he finds is not liberating but rather deeply painful, forcing him to confront uncomfortable realities about his wife, himself, and the society they inhabit, without offering clear redemption.

Kashua's characteristic dry wit and comedic observations often arise from the attorney's internal monologues and his interactions with others, particularly his attempts to maintain his 'sophisticated' facade. This humor provides moments of levity and sharp social commentary, making the heavy themes of identity, betrayal, and paranoia more nuanced and accessible without undermining their seriousness.

The title 'Second Person Singular' alludes to the shifting perspectives and identities within the narrative. It can refer to the attorney imagining his wife's life, his wife's 'other' identity as Yonatan, or even the reader's engagement with the characters' internal worlds. It emphasizes the subjective nature of identity and the way individuals perceive themselves and others.

The novel leaves the possibility of reconciliation ambiguous and challenging. The revelations are deeply damaging to their trust and understanding of each other. While the ending doesn't explicitly close the door, it suggests that the path to true reconciliation would be extraordinarily difficult, requiring immense work to rebuild from the shattered fragments of their past and present.

The ending forces the reader to reflect on the high cost of unchecked suspicion and the complexities of identity. It underscores that while truth may be sought, it doesn't always bring peace or resolution. The protagonist's journey concludes not with a tidy answer, but with the profound, unsettling consequences of his actions and discoveries, leaving a lasting impression of the fragility of relationships and self-perception.