fell in love
Have you ever fallen in love with someone much older than you and the sami sex? Well, it happened to Rivi, a 14-year-old girl who falls in love with Michaela, her literature teacher at school. And, surprising or not, Michaela has fallen in love with Rivi, and their erotic love for each other has continued for years…
This, apparently, is the core of “Dearest Anne” by Judith Katzir (The Feminist Press, 2008) who has devoted page after page to describing, in great detail, the erotic love between the two; their lengths to each other; his “sexual games”; their additive love, forbidden. Written in a beautiful and aesthetic language, while reading the book you cannot put it aside; you’re drawn to what’s going on between the two of you, at one point wishing you’d been a fly on her wall…
The power of attraction
The reason for the “attraction” of readers is simple. The sexual descriptions are elegantly and beautifully written, and just as the two women never “got enough” of each other and never had enough, the reader never feels that she has read enough. Part of this is due to Judith Katzir’s beautiful artistic language, which makes the book not only a page opener, but also an aesthetic experience in its depiction of places, characters, love and sexual attraction.
But the reader’s attraction to the book is not only due to the erotic descriptions, but also to another crucial point: as much as the love story between the 14-year-old girl and her 27-year-old teacher is “unique” for both of them. , echoes universal love stories of people throughout history (not necessarily between two people of the same sex and different ages) and quite possibly echoes some of his Own experiences with love and eroticism.
Existential, universal issues of everyday life
Yet another reason for the book’s attractive power is the breadth of themes it presents to us: the novel revolves around existential questions such as: where is the balance, or the border, between love and passion, between giving and giving? abuse?
What motivates people to do what they do and behave the way they do? Is there such a thing as “pure love” or is love often based on need, the need to be loved and accepted?
In addition to these and other questions, the novel deals with, among others, questions about existential love, illness and death, childhood and femininity, aspirations, disappointments, forgiveness and loss of opportunities (such as: If I had Than live my life again, what would I have done? differently?).
Our personal life vs. “Dearest Anne”
By raising such important and universal questions, Katzir’s book encourages us, the readers, in addition to experiencing pure pleasure reading his book, to delve into our own life, our own fantasies and aspirations, our own love (or lack thereof), our own life experiences, sorrows and/or moments of joy. It also prompts us, consciously or unconsciously, to ask questions about our self-awareness, as well as our understanding, or lack of understanding, of the way we “do” life; the way we communicate with our loved ones; the way we hurt ourselves and others and, last but not least, the fears and needs that drive us to behave the way we do.
self awareness
This theme of being self-aware is dealt with elegantly but hesitantly throughout the book. Is Rivi, a 14-year-old girl, aware of what she does? Is she aware of the dangers that could come her way? Is she aware of what drives her to fall in love, lie to her mother, and obsess over her love for her Michaela? Is she aware of the (bad) relationships she has with her mother and does she understand how they could have led her to fall in love with Michaela?
Once again, these questions motivate us, the readers, to think and contemplate about our own parental qualities -or lack- if we have children and about the relationships -or lack- that we have developed with them.
The pleasure of reading as an inspirational board to develop one’s own awareness
Katzir’s “Dearest Anne” not only gives us pleasure to read a courageous, well-crafted and aesthetically written “love story” (it could us Would we have had the courage to fulfill our own love or other desires we might have had?), but it also raises a lot of existential-philosophical questions about life in general. Then, if we wish (and have the courage to delve into it), the book encourages us to deal with questions related to our own lifeencouraging us to see and observe, in retrospect, our own achievements and missed opportunities (whether related to love or otherwise).
“Dearest Anne” can become an inspiration board for us to develop our self-awareness regarding our own life, in the face of the universal problems that the book presents in front of us.