The English Teacher: A Novel

This is really a very good spy novel written by a former spy of Israel. The author is up front that the novel had to be approved by the government and that the actual story is not a real story but fabricated from numerous real activities of Israels spy agency. The story unfolds with the disappearance of a female operative many years after her last assignment. She leaves a very brief phone message for her former handler who has already retired from the service.Having a former operative go off the grid is alarming so the retired handler who also has harbored an attachment for the woman immediately contacts the "Office". From this point on the story line takes a twist that is unexpected. The former handler contacts an old friend and mentor who is also retired from the Office. The old friend with the Offices approval meet and the two men talk about what might have caused the operative to disappear, where might she be, and how to get her back. She has secrets. She has knowledge about the Office. She must be found. From here the former handler tells the story. To his friend and former mentor. From the beginning of her recruitment until nearly the end of the novel. There are flashbacks involving the woman, involving the handler until near the end of the novel. The writing is beautiful but in the context of the real world of spying it exposes the inner feelings and emotions and effect on the people who are in this business. And the effects are sobering. The author exposes the spy business in what one can assume is the way it really is. And this is scary stuff. With many long discussions the two help each other. And finally, the former handler thinks he knows where his former operative, an operative he secretly loves and has loved for may years, has gone. He shares this knowledge with his friend, who by the way is reporting everything to the Office, and from here the ending of the book starts. The reader must remember that the author has told you that this book is based on real action(s) of the State of Israel. The actual story is not, but throughout the story individual pieces are real. Thus the sensors. Thus the blurred and often grey locations and scenes and action taken. This takes some getting use to as it colors your perception of the story. But what is not grey, what is not blurred are the raw emotions that are exposed to you from the point of the operative, her handler, the handlers friend and former mentor, and the Office, the spy chiefs. You will never guess the ending of the book until you are there.

I'm not usually a reader of spy fiction. Books in this genre I've tried often seem implausible and dismissive of human emotion. This novel, The English Teacher, had neither failings. The spycraft was detailed, realistic, and fascinating, and the human emotions depicted, including the love story, were credible and compelling. This work is unlike any other novel I've read; a believable description of the experiences of one woman who was deeply undercover for four years in an enemy country coupled with the complications that arose for her in both her personal and professional relationships. I read it over a 24 hour period, so it obviously captured my attention and made we want to keep finding out what was going to happen next. I recommend it as a good short fiction choice if you are looking for a fascinating narrative, a love story, and a glimpse into the external and interior lives of a spy.

Unlike most spy fiction, "The English Teacher" (ET) certainly does not glamorize any aspect of spying. Not the life of heroine Rachel, nor the lives of her masters, nor for their missions and the organization for which they work (Israel's Mossad). Actually, by book's end, this reader questioned why anyone want to have anything to do with Mossad. Rachel is a washed up spy at 35. She has worked in an unnamed Arab country for a number of years, has demonstrated craftiness beyond expectation in successfully pulling off several missions. She has played a key role in the execution (my word) of a few taregts. And she fell in love, a Mortal sin. And now after 15 years of semi-retirement, she has disappeared. Her masters are apoplectic with the fear that she could spill her guts to the opposition. Her Mossad contact sits with Joe, the department head, going through her history, and this narration forms a major part of the book. Joe gives the order, "bring her back......" ET has some very interesting moments and the writing is generally pretty good, but on occasion it gets a bit clumsy and unnecessarily difficult to understand, particularly at some scene shifts. It's a sad story, a bit predictable. The book has been a bit over-hyped with tales of 50 +/- reviews and forced changes by the author's former employee (guess who?)but it doesn't feel any more genuine to me than tales from Deighton, Littell, Le Carre. I doubt I'll read another by author Atir.

A young woman is inducted into the Mossad, trained as a spy and subsequently embedded into an unnamed Arab country. She completes several assignments as well as an assassination as instructed. But, alas, she falls deeply in love with a local. A fast paced plot, beautifully translated from the original Hebrew. Although it isn’t quite the caliber of a Le Carré novel it is an entertaining read that you will not want to put down.

carefully written description of the loneliness of secret service agent , both during and after their mission. Many details of how agents functions. Written as a reminiscence of the agent , Rachel, by her superiors an interesting literary tool

An intriguing thriller about a female Mossad agent recruited and handled by a much older, more experienced operative. She suddenly disappears after her father's death, triggering an urgent investigation with the fear she might do great damage to Israel. The author draws on his own career in intelligence; writing a novel that bristles with excitement and authenticity.

This book really never gets off the ground. Outcome predictable almost from page one. Characters have no nexus.

it was with some anticipation that I read The English Teacher. I like to think of myself as a small time aficionado of Israeli espionage and detective books (translated into English). The fact that Yiftach Reicher Atir's book had been a best seller in Israel back in 2013 made me all the more interested in the read. The premise of the book is intriguing, a ex Mossad agent disappears 15 years after her last assignment and the Mossad can't find her. The story tries to combine perspectives from the handler (Ehud), the protagonist (Rachel) and some of the inner workings of the Mossad. Rachel manages to become an English teacher in an unidentified Arab city in North Africa and sets out to provide intelligence back to the Office. Until she meets Rashid, the well connected Arab suitor seeking to learn the English language. The author's attempt to develop the character and the relationship between Rashid and Rachel is flawed and underdeveloped. Through much of the narrative, Reicher Atir's offers painstaking detail on the settings, operations, and inner workings of the Office. Too bad more nuance and insight was not offered in developing the explosive and clearly potent relationship between Rashid and Rachel. Ehud's secret love for Rachel echos throughout the treatment with a predictable (and pathetic) climax. The build up to and the final scene in the book is also not fully satisfying. It is less that the reader is left hanging on what or why the final denouement occurs. Rather, the emotions of those involved in the final scene feels hurried and needing a further treatment edit. All in all, a good but not an exceptional read.