"When she left Bengal and settled in London, Lipika Pelham was seeking the freedom to choose her own identity in the world. However, the moment she met her future husband, that search for identity would become more fraught and complicated than she had ever imagined possible. She was a Bengali-Indian-Bangladeshi with a Hindu-Muslim background; he was a Jew with a passion for Arab-Jewish coexistence in the Middle East. They married, pursued careers as journalists, had children, and moved to Jerusalem. This catapulted Lipika into a world where freedom from cultural identity is unheard of. From the school you choose for your children to the wine you buy--you take sides at every turn and the question becomes--which side? This is a story of two people who are passionately in love, and choose to fight for their marriage in spite of numerous obstacles. It is also a portrait of one of the most emotive cities in the world. By allowing the reader to accompany her as she tries to make sense of Jerusalem, Pelham gives a brilliantly compelling and subtle insight into the complexities of daily life in Israel. Full of vivacity and energy, The Unlikely Settler is a plea for understanding and compromise as a solution to all conflicts, domestic and global"--