Ot me-Avshalom
# Ot me-Avshalom

Ot me-Avshalom (Hebrew: אות מאבשלום Translation: A Letter from Avshalom or A Sign from Avshalom) is a novel by Israeli author Nava Macmel-Atir published by Yediot Books in 2009. The book quickly became a best-seller, and Macmel-Atir received the Golden Book award for selling 20,000 copies in just three months after its release. Half a year after its publication, Ot me-Avshalom received the Platinum Book award from the Book Publishers Association of Israel for selling 40,000 copies. In June 2015, it received the "Diamond Book" commemoration for selling 100,000 copies.

## Plot

A young graphologist, Alma Bach, embarks on the trail of a man whose handwriting was sent to her for analysis. She discovers characteristics such as sharp wit, high degree of general knowledge, and courage. She discovers a passionate man with a highly developed imagination, linguistic style, and the sensitivity of an artist, a man with a magnetic personality who draws people to him while at the same time secluding himself and keeping a secret, and who is capable of loving at great magnitudes and willing to sacrifice for his love, for his love of the land, for his love of a woman, and eventually to pay the ultimate price. Alma is determined to meet this man face-to-face.

The story moves back and forth between two time periods: modern-day Israel, where Alma undergoes her journey to discover the man, and a biographical depiction of Avshalom Feinberg, founder and leader of the Nili spy ring, which starts in late 19th-century Palestine and continues into the early 20th century.

## Awards

* Golden Book Commemoration – Book Publishers Association of Israel – September 2009
* Platinum Book Commemoration – Book Publishers Association of Israel – January 2010
* Diamond Book Commemoration – Book Publishers Association of Israel – June 2015
