Summary

The prologue of Waking Lions synthesizes the moments after Eitan hits Asum with his Mercedes SUV but before Eitan examines Asum’s condition. This excerpt highlights Eitan’s thoughts about how the collision will affect his future.

In Chapter 1, Eitan explains the circumstances that landed him in Beersheba, Israel, a city he despises for its unemployment, crime, and perpetual dustiness. While working as a neurosurgeon at a hospital in Tel Aviv, Eitan discovers that his mentor, Professor Zakai, accepts bribes from patients to advance their surgeries. When Eitan reports Zakai’s indiscretion to his superiors at the hospital, they arrange for his transfer to Soroka Hospital. At the end of Chapter 1, Eitan leaves Soroka following a long shift and decides to drive the red SUV his wife, Liat, bought him as compensation for the transfer through Beersheba’s desert roads. Eitan releases his hatred...