Thin Air

Roi’s traumatic experiences as an IDF soldier in southern Lebanon have given rise to the existential question that sent him, like so many young Israelis, to travel in India.
He finds the answers in Tibetan Buddhism, with which he becomes acquainted in his stay with the Tibetan refugee community of Dharamsala. During his Buddhism studies, Roi renounces militarism and chooses to adhere to the idea of cosmic compassion, and even finds local love.
But war is never far away. Just when he’s reached “the roof of the world,” the wellspring of Buddhist thought, Roi is recruited to the local underground, which, to his surprise – and in contrast to the pacifist spirit that he’s chosen to adopt – advocates violent struggle against the Chinese occupation. A large arsenal is being amassed in Tibet, ready for use, and Roi finds himself in a pivotal role. Now, as he grasps the complexity of the situation, and with his life in danger, he is called upon to decide whether to readopt the violent ways that he just renounced.
This suspenseful, riveting novel sweeps across the Tibetan Plateau, revels in its landscapes, steeps in its beliefs, and unfurls its history. In it, a surprising solution to the China-Tibet crisis is presented, the complex relationship between east and west is clarified, and answers to Roi’s existential questions are found anew.