Ten years ago, Iris was severely injured in an attack. Although she has returned to her old life, she is plagued by pain day after day. When she unexpectedly encounters Eitan, the love of her youth whom she abruptly left years ago, it completely throws her off balance. The wound he inflicted on her is no less deep than the one caused by the suicide bomber who blew himself up next to her. Yet, Iris finds herself inexplicably drawn to him again, filled with wonder. Like in "Liebesleben," Shalev explores the depths of love and the perils of a fatal attraction. The erotic tension and the intensity of the unexpectedly reignited passion are told with uncompromising honesty and profound emotion. "Pain" is her most personal book, an emotional boundary experience.