Just when everything seemed perfect and stable, peaceful and routine, Hila’s life was shattered and her cards were thrown into disarray.
From her new vantage point, Hila confronts life and those who hurt her, faces the wrong decisions she made, uncovering truths and lies that would otherwise have remained forever hidden.
With remarkable courage, she employs every means at her disposal, leaping over the walls she had built around herself over time, and ultimately succeeding in breaking them down.
In the process, she finds a way to reclaim her lost dignity, to know her body, discover the pleasure within it, and her hidden desires. She realizes that when eyes are open and the soul is free, nothing is truly lost. Any destination can be reached, any dream achieved.
When the surprising end arrives, she does indeed start anew – stronger, unlimited, and free from fears.
This time, she knows, there will be no regrets.
“Life Without Me” centers on Hila, the main protagonist. Hila is forty-four years old, managing a law office. She’s married to Noam and is mother to Liat and Danny.
Hila leads a ‘normal’ life that she loves. She is the center of the household, taking care of everything and everyone, focused on fulfilling this role throughout each and every day.
Right at the beginning of the book, Hila suddenly loses her life. She fights to stay in her body, but reality proves stronger and she watches her husband and children say goodbye. Despite the shock and pain, her first feeling is relief. She receives a rare opportunity to see her life continue without her, to be a fly on the wall. From this new perspective, she meets Michal, her close friend who disappoints her, and Emmanuel, the charming neighbor who surprises her pleasantly. Each in their own way helps her confront the reality she compromised with throughout her life.
At the heart of the plot lies a conflict that accompanies us all in our daily lives. How much are we willing to compromise in life? How much do we want to and how much do we need to live within compromise. Could it be that during life we forget to live?
Hila, who floats throughout the plot between spirit and matter, manages to experience the full range of existing emotions. Every detail of her life is put to the test. Her sexuality. Her motherhood. Her loyalty to her husband. She is present at events held by her loved ones, from her son Danny’s soccer game to the first time her daughter Liat takes the family car and almost falls asleep at the wheel. She watches her husband, Michal, Emmanuel, and her heart overflows. Without a body, emotions are much stronger and she faces them courageously.
In the end, what started as the worst day of her life, the day Hila died, became the day she received the gift of life. With the new insights she has learned, she embarks on a new journey, full of satisfaction and self-fulfillment.
