Product Description

"Etgar Keret's short stories are fierce, funny, full of energy and insight, and at the same time they are often deep, tragic and very moving" - Amos Oz. A magician tries to pull a rabbit out of a hat, but takes out only its head; a guy brings a girl home with him for the first time only to find that his best friend has pissed on his doorstep; a young man graduates from Magician School but soon discovers that he can't do everything; two drunk students do battle with a pavement and win; someone has a mother and a girlfriend who hate each other's guts, and they both demand that he gives them the other one's heart...many of the characters in these stories are waiting for something to change their lives, many of them can't quite reach ultimate happiness, some of them are sick, some are abandoned, and most have trouble communicating. The unexpected can, and usual does, happen.Etgar Keret's stories are very short - and every word counts. They are quick, brief and precise, and they move us without hesitation. They are hilarious and off-the-wall, yet also dark, sometimes violent, and often intensely poignant. They are, in short, brilliant.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #176823 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Independent on Sunday
'expertly crafted... it is a collection that keeps you on your toes, and unsure of what is coming next'

Telegraph
`a terse artfully linked and thought-provoking sequence on violence and love in human behaviour'

New Statesman
'A beguiling, savagely funny collection of stories.'

Customer Reviews

Unique stories
I've never read anything so original and so moving in my life. I bought the collection because it was shortlisted for the O'connor award and expected something much heavier. But the stories in this collection are both deep and accessible. A small wonder.

Uneven as usual
Some of these stories are brilliant, bow-down-to-them terrific. Others are shtick-yawns. The best are like the wondrous short-short stories of Spencer Holst. The worst are whines from the boring Slacker you'd never listen to for five minutes if you bumped into them at a bar. Buy the book for the wonderful, but expect a very mixed bag.