Family

Gundar-Goshen portrays family as a delicate but valuable institution. While Waking Lions focuses primarily on the Green family, Gundar-Goshen also explores the significance of family for minor characters, including Ali, Mona, and Sharaf. She additionally introduces non-traditional family structures, such as the temporary family Semar makes with Davidson’s baby.

Eitan cherishes his family, repeatedly prioritizing Liat, Itamar, and Yaheli over his desire for Sirkit. Though Eitan associates his family with comfort and happiness, Gundar-Goshen conveys that Eitan’s family life contains flaws. Liat and Eitan keep secrets from each other beyond the hit-and-run, which Eitan conceals from Liat because he fears she will judge him. While Liat suspects Eitan is unfaithful when he continuously disappears at night and later expresses doubt in Eitan’s altruism after hearing Sirkit’s story at the police station, she ignores her concerns to protect herself from painful truths about...