The Diamond Setter

Inspired by true events, this best-selling Israeli novel traces a complex web of love triangles and family secrets across generations and borders.

The uneventful life of a jeweler from Tel Aviv changes abruptly after Fareed, a handsome young man from Damascus, crosses illegally into Israel and makes his way to the ancient port city of Jaffa in search of his roots. In his pocket is a piece of a famous blue diamond known as “Sabakh.” Intending to return the diamond to its rightful owner, Fareed is soon swept up in Tel Aviv’s vibrant gay scene, and a turbulent protest movement. He falls in love with an Israeli soldier and his boyfriend, the narrator of this book. We learn the story of his family’s past—a tale of forbidden love beginning in the 1930s—and what connects Fareed and the jeweler.

The Diamond Setter ties present-day events to a forgotten time before the creation of the state of Israel. Moshe Sakal’s poignant mosaic of characters, locales, and cultures allows us to imagine the Middle East beyond its conflicts.