“When She Was a Child” by Galit Habib

To help understand the contemporary story told by novelist Galit Habib in When She Was a Child, it helps to know something about Mesopotamian mythology, and specifically the gods Enlil and Enki. 

Enlil was the god of air and wind and eventually considered the supreme god. He has a romance with Ninlil, which had been forbidden by her mother. He’s cast out by the rest of the gods but eventually stays with his true love. They have twins.

 

Enki was a god with a fairly sizeable portfolio. He was the god of wisdom, intelligence, magic, trickery, fresh water, healing, creation, and fertility. Among his offspring are the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; he’s a co-creator of the world and of life in general.

 

Both gods and others figure in the story of When She Was a Child, translated from the Hebrew by Yaron Regev. It initially seems conventional enough; a little girl, Ella, has a dream of a black-pebble beach and trying to find her twin brother Michael. The two are very close; they’re being raised by the mother Nina who adores her son but dislikes her daughter. The identity of their father is an open question; Nine would never really say.

 

Galit Habib

Michael has dreams similar to his sister; he recognizes the dream as another world entirely, and it’s one to which he feels an irresistible pull. And one day, Michael disappears. That story of how he disappears gradually unfolds in the novel; it’s told from several different periods of Ella’s life, from young childhood to adulthood. It helps to read the novel closely; it does not have a standard chronological structure.

 

Ella will learn about herself over a long period of time, in both dreams and reality. She always considered her brother the smart one and the strong one (so did everyone else), but she will eventually learn that she herself was the strong one of the pair. And she will need all of her strength and intelligence to deal with what’s coming in her dream world.

 

Habib received a B.A. degree on theater arts and a master’s degree in education and literature. She lives with her family in Portugal. She’s written several novels, but When She Was a Child may be the only one available in English. 

 

While it may be a combination contemporary, horror, and mythological novel, all of the elements of When She Was a Child combine to tell a story of overcoming adversity, threat, and even danger. But do familiarize yourself with Enlil and Enki; it's not necessary, but it’ll help.

Some Monday Readings

 

The clash within civilizations – Heather Mac Donald at The New Criterion.

 

Murders for June – Jeremy Black at The Critic Magazine.

 

Things Worth Remembering: When to Stop Being Nice – Spencer Klavan at The Free Press.

 

V is for Vendetta: The Graphic Novel at Its Best – Bradley Birzer.

 

Cigar Rumination #2 – Brian Miller at Notes from an East Tennessee Farmer.