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allieeveryday's review against another edition
4.0
Short story collections are always difficult to review, but for real, I'm over here thinking, how on earth does one review this collection?? Keret is an Israeli author, and this was translated into English, and I feel like I need to give props to the translators because I think this was pretty magnificent, if not a bit messed up.
The problem for reviewing (but a wonderful thing for reading) is that these stories kind of take you where you don't expect them to go, and so I kind of don't want to go into too much detail for fear of ruining the individual stories for someone else. They're just unexpected, and many are quite dark, and they have these little twists or turns of phrase where it's not something you're looking for, but then you're putting the book down on your lap, going "huh" and stopping to think for a few minutes before picking it back up.
Standout stories for me:
- The titular piece, and the first story in the collection, which gave me chills right off the bat, as a man tries to protect his son from witnessing a stranger's suicide.
- Tabula Rasa. Oh this one was wonderfully written and so very fucked up. I can't tell you anything about it.
- Car Concentrate, about a guy who has his father's old crushed-up convertible as a conversation piece in his living room. It's also messed up.
- Windows, about a man named Mickey who has trouble remembering things and is in what seems like assisted living, but who is helping whom?
- Yad Vashem, which I had to sit with for a while after I finished. About a couple visiting Israel, and their trip to a Holocaust museum. The juxtaposition of the children who were killed, and that the woman had recently had an abortion.
- Also the one that's not really titled, other than I guess "Glitch at the Edge of the Galaxy" query, which isn't so much a story as it is a series of emails throughout the book back and forth between a guy who is the manager of an escape room and a patron who wants to visit it on Holocaust Remembrance Day.
... which I guess is a lot of stories I thought were impressive for a short collection.
Anyway, despite it being weird and messed up and dark and dry in tone, I thought it was exceptional. 4.5 stars.
The problem for reviewing (but a wonderful thing for reading) is that these stories kind of take you where you don't expect them to go, and so I kind of don't want to go into too much detail for fear of ruining the individual stories for someone else. They're just unexpected, and many are quite dark, and they have these little twists or turns of phrase where it's not something you're looking for, but then you're putting the book down on your lap, going "huh" and stopping to think for a few minutes before picking it back up.
Standout stories for me:
- The titular piece, and the first story in the collection, which gave me chills right off the bat, as a man tries to protect his son from witnessing a stranger's suicide.
- Tabula Rasa. Oh this one was wonderfully written and so very fucked up. I can't tell you anything about it.
- Car Concentrate, about a guy who has his father's old crushed-up convertible as a conversation piece in his living room. It's also messed up.
- Windows, about a man named Mickey who has trouble remembering things and is in what seems like assisted living, but who is helping whom?
- Yad Vashem, which I had to sit with for a while after I finished. About a couple visiting Israel, and their trip to a Holocaust museum. The juxtaposition of the children who were killed, and that the woman had recently had an abortion.
- Also the one that's not really titled, other than I guess "Glitch at the Edge of the Galaxy" query, which isn't so much a story as it is a series of emails throughout the book back and forth between a guy who is the manager of an escape room and a patron who wants to visit it on Holocaust Remembrance Day.
... which I guess is a lot of stories I thought were impressive for a short collection.
Anyway, despite it being weird and messed up and dark and dry in tone, I thought it was exceptional. 4.5 stars.
essjay's review
2.5
The only two stories I gave above 3 stars were "Todd" and "Tabula Rasa." Not sure if I've changed so much as a reader or if he's changed as a writer, but this was my least favourite of his collections.
jravelar's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
3.75
Varios cuentos muy buenos, otros buenos y algunos dirección malos.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
karac15's review against another edition
5.0
[Full disclosure: I received this collection in a giveaway. I did not let this influence my opinion of the writing.]
Each story in Fly Already hist me differently but connected on a level much deeper than expected. The collection is as connective and emotionally rooted as you let it be. Keret is a witty and darkly humorous writer that knows exactly how he leads the reader. Several stories in Fly Already stuck with me throughout the day and left me wanting to read more. This is the first of his writing I have read and I will continue to read his work.
Each story in Fly Already hist me differently but connected on a level much deeper than expected. The collection is as connective and emotionally rooted as you let it be. Keret is a witty and darkly humorous writer that knows exactly how he leads the reader. Several stories in Fly Already stuck with me throughout the day and left me wanting to read more. This is the first of his writing I have read and I will continue to read his work.
michellelouise's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
straciehniezdo's review against another edition
5.0
Som absolútne očarená. Zaľúbená. Do slov. Jednoduchých, no zároveň nádherných. Neviem ako to pán Keret dokázal, ale spôsobom, ktorým skladal vety do slov si ma získal podobne ako Márquez a Erin Morgenstern. Paradoxne je to ďalšia z tých kníh, do ktorých som sa pustila spontánne, nikdy ma ani len nelákala. Hlavne preto, že poviedky čítam málo a často s nimi nie som veľká kamarátka. Ale nemohla by som byť nadšenejšia.
Tieto poviedky sú neskutočne ľudské a ponúkajú veľmi veľa podnetov na premýšľanie. Vo veľmi kratučkom rozsahu ma viaceré poviedky zasiahli, nechali ma nadšenú, rozčarovanú, smutnú a s mnohými myšlienkami. A to všetko veľmi nenásilným štýlom, od ktorého to nečakáte a predsa vás zdrapí a už nepustí.
Moje najobľúbenejšie poviedky boli Predposledný raz, čo ma vystrelili z dela, Nerobte to!, Goodeed, Otec so zemiakovým pyré, Narodeniny po celý rok a hlavne Tabula rasa, ktorá ma odpálila niekde na mesiac. Ale aj všetky ostatné sa mi páčili. Bolo možno pár slabších, ale nebola žiadna, čo by sa mi vôbec nepáčila.
Kniha si zaslúži plný počet hviezdičiek a nemusela som nad tým ani uvažovať. Famózne, teším sa na ďalšie autorove diela.
Tieto poviedky sú neskutočne ľudské a ponúkajú veľmi veľa podnetov na premýšľanie. Vo veľmi kratučkom rozsahu ma viaceré poviedky zasiahli, nechali ma nadšenú, rozčarovanú, smutnú a s mnohými myšlienkami. A to všetko veľmi nenásilným štýlom, od ktorého to nečakáte a predsa vás zdrapí a už nepustí.
Moje najobľúbenejšie poviedky boli Predposledný raz, čo ma vystrelili z dela, Nerobte to!, Goodeed, Otec so zemiakovým pyré, Narodeniny po celý rok a hlavne Tabula rasa, ktorá ma odpálila niekde na mesiac. Ale aj všetky ostatné sa mi páčili. Bolo možno pár slabších, ale nebola žiadna, čo by sa mi vôbec nepáčila.
Kniha si zaslúži plný počet hviezdičiek a nemusela som nad tým ani uvažovať. Famózne, teším sa na ďalšie autorove diela.
lolgappa's review against another edition
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
not_mike's review against another edition
5.0
Short Stories.
Fly Already
One Gram short
The Next-to-Last Time Was Shot out of a Cannon
Tabula Rasa
At Night
To the Moon and Back
GooDeed
Crumb Cake
Artic Lizard
Ladder
Yad Vashem
The Birthday of a Failed Revolutionary
Allergies
Fungus
Chips
Home
Fly Already
One Gram short
The Next-to-Last Time Was Shot out of a Cannon
Tabula Rasa
At Night
To the Moon and Back
GooDeed
Crumb Cake
Artic Lizard
Ladder
Yad Vashem
The Birthday of a Failed Revolutionary
Allergies
Fungus
Chips
Home
sktxaryaw's review against another edition
dark
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bkish's review against another edition
5.0
Etgar Keret book was translated from hebrew and he lives in Israel
He is a known writer tho new to me
This is a marvelous collection of stories and each of the characters is different and very odd. Some of them are on the fringe and border on more than odd and sometimes very very unpleasant people or children. The circumstances in each story is also very odd and unusual and in each story the ending is very unexpected
Excellent book to read about people adults and children who are somewhat on the border yet they function. And there is some ability that Keret has to whitewash even the worst of the people or children so everything always ends up In Balance
Judy
He is a known writer tho new to me
This is a marvelous collection of stories and each of the characters is different and very odd. Some of them are on the fringe and border on more than odd and sometimes very very unpleasant people or children. The circumstances in each story is also very odd and unusual and in each story the ending is very unexpected
Excellent book to read about people adults and children who are somewhat on the border yet they function. And there is some ability that Keret has to whitewash even the worst of the people or children so everything always ends up In Balance
Judy