The Israeli settlements - a hot-button issue, a provocative novel. Is that too much to ask? Otniel Asis just wants a place where he can quietly grow cherry tomatoes and arugula for his wife and keep a goat. But hardly has he set up his caravan next to a small open field in the middle of the West Bank when other settlers from his village join him, a kindergarten and a synagogue emerge, and donations flow in from America - even though none of this is approved. Assaf Gavron tells the absurd reality of life in Israel with a satirical sharpness and passionate seriousness that is unmatched.