The Replacement?

Exit Wounds is an excellent example of an incredibly personal, intimate story taking place in – and being catalyzed by – significant external circumstances.  While Shortcomings was centered on the relationship between two people without too much consideration beyond their immediate worlds, Exit Wounds closely follows the triangle between Koby, Numi, and Koby’s father Gabriel (a central character who never actually appears in the book) while using significant world events (bombings in Israel, fairly recent events that most readers are familiar enough with to culturally and historically place) to contextualize and drive the story.  The book gives a personal face to situations that are easily seen as huge and “faceless” in news accounts.  That in mind, I’d like to look closer at the relationship between these three characters, clearly the driving force of the narrative.    

My initial thought upon first seeing Numi was – and I doubt I was the only person to ask this; I also don’t doubt this choice by Modan was unintentional – “is that a man or a woman?”  Numi is drawn with an androgynous face and body shape, and stands taller than Koby.  There are probably several possible reasons for this decision, but one possible reasons involves not the relationship between Koby and Numi, but rather their respective relationships with Gabriel. 

It is quickly made clear that Koby and his father have a negative relationship and, in the last two years, have had no relationship to speak of (as Koby says on page 23 when speaking with his sister: “What relationship?”).  Gabriel’s feelings towards his son are barely touched on; while Koby’s sister says that Gabriel was “upset” (22) not to see Gabriel at his mother’s grave, it seems that his sadness was more for himself – “It was hard for him, all alone” (22) – rather than for his son. 

Yet Gabriel built a “strong” relationship with Numi – the reader does question whether the relationship was actually anything special to Gabriel or if, more plausibly, Numi was far more invested in her “dear Pooh Bear” (30) than he was in her.  Nevertheless, Numi emphasizes the strength of their bond, which stands in stark contrast to Koby’s severed father-son tie.  Additionally, the strength of Numi and Koby’s initial relationship is built on an odd sort of sibling-esque relationship: When Numi discusses losing track of Gabriel on page 38, Koby’s internal response is “That sounds like Dad all right” (38).  But soon after, Numi says “You know how he [Gabriel] worries” to which Koby responds “Actually, I don’t” (41).  Numi frequently pulls the “You know how Gabriel is” card, often with Koby responding that no, he actually does not.  On page 76, Koby goes so far as to ask “So, what’s he doing these days, anyway?” learning about his father through Numi.

In some strange way, androgynous Numi has stepped into Koby’s position as son (barring, of course, the sexual elements of the relationship!).  Because Numi knows more about Koby’s father than Koby does, and because she feels close enough to “know how Gabriel is” but leaves Koby in the dark with these clichés – Numi has even visited Koby’s mother’s grave, and has a better sense of where it is located than Koby does! – the reader gets the feeling that Numi has developed a relationship with Gabriel that Koby should have (or perhaps even wishes that he had).  Numi certainly seems an odd partner choice for Gabriel, considering the age gap and the type of woman that Gabriel married (she is revealed on page 159); perhaps her androgynous appearance is meant to emphasize the odd contrast of her relationship to Gabriel as compared to Koby’s relationship to his father.

On this line of thought, it is worthwhile to note that Numi is drawn with distinctly feminine features (particularly breasts) only late in the story, once her relationship with Koby has progressed beyond the link over Gabriel.