Summary

Part 4: Chapter 12: "Ghosts," New York-Jerusalem-Tel Aviv - 2011-2012

Hannah keeps the first letter Gila sent her pressed inside a book on Jewish mysticism. Hannah thinks back on her article on Bellen’s murder and her thoughts about not wanting to face being a Jew. She thinks Gila’s letter is her own words coming back to confront her. The letter caused Hannah and Gila’s meeting, which led to the book Hannah writes. Bellen’s essay, “I Pity the Poor Immigrant,” reminds Hannah of something Gila said during the lunch about “the sense of going down … of being corrupt.” From this Hannah draw lines between Gila, Lansky and herself. She says writing the book makes her feel like an immigrant.

A newspaper article in 2011 describes the fraud indictment against Hannah’s father. He faces 10 years in prison if convicted. The article quotes a...