The Diamond Setter
A Novel
Moshe Sakal(Author)
Other Press LLC
Will be published approx. on 1. September 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-1-63542-596-3 (ISBN)
Description
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.
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.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 133 mm
Weight
367 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-63542-596-3 (9781635425963)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Persons
Moshe Sakal