Until the Walls Come Down

By: Gal Podjarny
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Publication Date: July 22, 2025
ISBN: 979-8-89132-695-8
Reviewed by: Ephantus Muriuki
Review Date: May 28, 2025

Until the Walls Come Down is a touching and deeply emotional novel written by Gal Podjarny that gently follows the journey of a young Israeli woman named Tammar, who, while expecting her first child and dreaming of a peaceful future with her loving Palestinian husband, Ali, is suddenly thrown into a world of heartbreak, confusion, and personal struggle after her parents are killed in a tragic terrorist attack. This event not only shakes her life to the core, but also brings back old wounds, family tensions, and social pressures that test her courage and challenge everything she thought she knew about love, loyalty, and identity.

From the very beginning, Tammar stands out as a powerful and relatable character whose emotions feel so real and honest that readers can almost hear her heartbeat, feel her sorrow, and understand the overwhelming pressure she faces as she tries to keep her family together while grieving, protecting her childhood home from destruction, and preparing for the birth of her baby. Her palpable love for Ali, who is gentle, patient, and supportive despite being treated unfairly by many around them because of his origin and background, is one of the strongest and most beautiful parts of their story. Throughout the narrative, readers are drawn into a deeply inspiring environment of two people holding firmly on to each other even when the world around them feels like it’s falling apart.

The novel also paints a complicated but honest picture of Tammar’s relationship with her two brothers—Barak, who is fiery but logical and responsible, and Daniel, who is distant, extremely religious, and hard to reach. Each one of them carries their own version of pain, disappointment, and loss, and each struggle to connect with the other after years of separation and misunderstanding. The scene at the funeral, where emotions boil over and old resentments explode into a public fight, is heartbreaking and tense, and yet it is written with such tenderness and care that readers will not only feel the chaos, but also the deep love hiding beneath the surface.

Podjarny's writing style is soft and poetic, filled with quiet details that bring the world to life: the smell of sea air near Tammar’s childhood house, the heat of the sun on the street where a bulldozer approaches, the bittersweet taste of pastries at the morning table, and the ache in a daughter’s chest when she hears her brother say he never felt loved. These moments, captured in eloquent prose, conjure up a world that is both familiar and relatable, yet profoundly significant, serving as a reminder to readers of the ways in which people, places, and memories influence who they are.

Quill says: Gal Podjarny does something very special in this book—she shows us how grief can hurt deeply but also open the door to healing, how family can break but still find its way back together, and how even in a country full of conflict and division, peace can begin with a quiet conversation, a shared memory, or a single act of kindness. Interestingly, the book offers a silent yet profound call to young readers to think critically and to trust that change is possible, even if it begins with tiny steps. Until the Walls Come Down is not just a story—it is a gentle and emotional experience that teaches empathy, bravery, and the quiet power of standing up for what you believe in, even when it’s hard, and even when you’re standing alone.

For more information about Until the Walls Come Down, please visit the publisher's website at: atmospherepress.com/books/until-the-walls-come-down-by-gal-podjarny