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atlas_shruggs's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Jokes for the Gunmen - 5 stars | Matador - 3 stars | Gramophone - 5 stars | Cinema - 4 stars | Bisquits - 3,5 stars | Joke - 2 stars | Angel of death - 2 stars | Other-People's-Dreams Syndrome - 4,5 stars | Aquarium - 3,5 stars | Portion of Jam - 3 stars | Curtain - 1 star | Juan and Ausa - 2 stars
I went into this short-story collection wanting to learn more about Palestine and their history and though I did learn about the mental effects of the war, it wasn't exactly what I was expecting.
I didn't know this was surrealism which was the biggest mistake I made before starting to read. I thought it was stone-cold realism, which the first story seemed to confirm, but the more I read the stranger the stories became.
My favourite stories were "Jokes for the Gunmen", "Gramophone" and "Other-People's-Dreams Syndrome". The first two were very based in realism and were exactly what I was looking for. They gave a stark glimpse into the war, especially Gramophone.
The third of these stories was more surreal than the other two, but I liked the writing and the concept was very interesting.
I went into this short-story collection wanting to learn more about Palestine and their history and though I did learn about the mental effects of the war, it wasn't exactly what I was expecting.
I didn't know this was surrealism which was the biggest mistake I made before starting to read. I thought it was stone-cold realism, which the first story seemed to confirm, but the more I read the stranger the stories became.
My favourite stories were "Jokes for the Gunmen", "Gramophone" and "Other-People's-Dreams Syndrome". The first two were very based in realism and were exactly what I was looking for. They gave a stark glimpse into the war, especially Gramophone.
The third of these stories was more surreal than the other two, but I liked the writing and the concept was very interesting.
sidharthvardhan's review against another edition
3.0
I guess surrealism just isn't my kind of thing.
pearloz's review
3.0
Hit or miss collection of stories--some ventured into the strange and surreal and were great and interesting (Aquarium), some ventured into the strange seemingly for strangeness's sake and were not so compelling (Biscuits).
Some selected story synopses and thoughts:
Jokes for the Gunmen--solid story about growing up in a war zone. Like the rest of the wartime stories in this collection, the guerrilla warfare/street fighting is a backdrop rather than a focal point of the narrative, this was a story about a father and his sons, and one in particular playing at adult. The pepper plant, the deaf brother, the "kidnapping" that turns out to be a chance runaway, dad's new life, the laundromat bequeathed to the living son...it felt like big L literary, and I think the story was good enough that it could've been expanded to novel length.
Matador--Meh story about an uncle who dies and is resurrected 3 times. Uncle wants to be a matador, practices on a cow and loses? Did I get that right? It was a quickly forgotten story.
Gramophone--About a dad who is a gramophone operator at a bar, bar gets bombed, dad loses his arms and gramophone. Grows despondent, depressed, basically bed-ridden, asks son to donate an arm, the request is refused. Another, more literary story.
Cinema--Even though this is set during a war or a battle, it's more about the after effects, families locked in a cinema for shelter, a roaming cow. Ventures into the surreal once the bomb goes off. Was he the only survivor? Were there no bodies? A teddy bear full of a never-ending supply of cheese singles? Dude feeds the cow footballs, a satchel, broken china, and it regains its strength...like WTH is this story?
Biscuits--Insane story. Dude makes up stories to convince mom has Alheimer's. Including a random story about a man on the road trying to touch cars and turn them into biscuits. Made me mad.
Aquarium--about a couple that may or not be conceiving. See an OBGYN, not pregnant, removes from the woman's uterus a blood clot...gives it to the couple in a test tube. They name it, keep it in a test tube, then eventually move it to an aquarium. It's a better story than it sounds, honestly.
Curtain--couple has sex in bedroom. Flimsy curtain allows dwarf across the way to see and scream out about it which brings out other names to watch from their balconies. They change curtains, dwarf gets sad. Change the curtain back. "There's someone fucking on the seventh floor. They're fucking just for me. Don't go out on your balconies, you sons of bitches." Weird, funny one, but WTH.
Some selected story synopses and thoughts:
Jokes for the Gunmen--solid story about growing up in a war zone. Like the rest of the wartime stories in this collection, the guerrilla warfare/street fighting is a backdrop rather than a focal point of the narrative, this was a story about a father and his sons, and one in particular playing at adult. The pepper plant, the deaf brother, the "kidnapping" that turns out to be a chance runaway, dad's new life, the laundromat bequeathed to the living son...it felt like big L literary, and I think the story was good enough that it could've been expanded to novel length.
Matador--Meh story about an uncle who dies and is resurrected 3 times. Uncle wants to be a matador, practices on a cow and loses? Did I get that right? It was a quickly forgotten story.
Gramophone--About a dad who is a gramophone operator at a bar, bar gets bombed, dad loses his arms and gramophone. Grows despondent, depressed, basically bed-ridden, asks son to donate an arm, the request is refused. Another, more literary story.
Cinema--Even though this is set during a war or a battle, it's more about the after effects, families locked in a cinema for shelter, a roaming cow. Ventures into the surreal once the bomb goes off. Was he the only survivor? Were there no bodies? A teddy bear full of a never-ending supply of cheese singles? Dude feeds the cow footballs, a satchel, broken china, and it regains its strength...like WTH is this story?
Biscuits--Insane story. Dude makes up stories to convince mom has Alheimer's. Including a random story about a man on the road trying to touch cars and turn them into biscuits. Made me mad.
Aquarium--about a couple that may or not be conceiving. See an OBGYN, not pregnant, removes from the woman's uterus a blood clot...gives it to the couple in a test tube. They name it, keep it in a test tube, then eventually move it to an aquarium. It's a better story than it sounds, honestly.
Curtain--couple has sex in bedroom. Flimsy curtain allows dwarf across the way to see and scream out about it which brings out other names to watch from their balconies. They change curtains, dwarf gets sad. Change the curtain back. "There's someone fucking on the seventh floor. They're fucking just for me. Don't go out on your balconies, you sons of bitches." Weird, funny one, but WTH.
elinoragud's review against another edition
5.0
Þessi bók, vá.
Ég hef aldrei lesið nokkuð þessu líkt. Ég hélt þetta myndi verða léttur lestur, eða í að minnsta ég yrði fljót að klára hana þar sem hún er ekki löng. Ég myndi þvert á móti mæla með að lesa þessa bók yfir langan tíma, eina smásögu í einu og melta vel á milli. Ég er svo vön að lesa bækur sem eru svo boxaðar inn, svo formúleraðar, en þegar ég var að lesa var ég alltaf að hugsa um að það er ekkert limit á hugmyndafluginu, en svo sjaldan sem það er nýtt til hins ýtrasta eins og hér. Bara vá. Ég var sífellt að velta fyrir mér hvort um væri að ræða myndlíkingar sem ég ekki skildi, og alltaf að bíða eftir að fá svör við spurningum eða eitthvað til að láta þetta allt koma heim og saman, hafa einhverja merkingu. Það gerði það aldrei og eftir sig ég með allar spurningarnar. Mjög klár vinkona mín sagði „war does not make sense so why could we expect stories inspired by war to make sense", sem mér fannst virkilega hitta naglann á höfuðið. Mæli svakalega mikið með.
Ég hef aldrei lesið nokkuð þessu líkt. Ég hélt þetta myndi verða léttur lestur, eða í að minnsta ég yrði fljót að klára hana þar sem hún er ekki löng. Ég myndi þvert á móti mæla með að lesa þessa bók yfir langan tíma, eina smásögu í einu og melta vel á milli. Ég er svo vön að lesa bækur sem eru svo boxaðar inn, svo formúleraðar, en þegar ég var að lesa var ég alltaf að hugsa um að það er ekkert limit á hugmyndafluginu, en svo sjaldan sem það er nýtt til hins ýtrasta eins og hér. Bara vá. Ég var sífellt að velta fyrir mér hvort um væri að ræða myndlíkingar sem ég ekki skildi, og alltaf að bíða eftir að fá svör við spurningum eða eitthvað til að láta þetta allt koma heim og saman, hafa einhverja merkingu. Það gerði það aldrei og eftir sig ég með allar spurningarnar. Mjög klár vinkona mín sagði „war does not make sense so why could we expect stories inspired by war to make sense", sem mér fannst virkilega hitta naglann á höfuðið. Mæli svakalega mikið með.
tevreads's review
3.0
Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2019. Jokes for the Gunmen is a peculiar novel featuring short stories set amongst the war-ravaged city of Beirut. There's a distinct flavour of absurdity in the interaction of characters in a seemingly familiar world. Maarouf subverts expectations as these world's become shocking, hilarious, and exceedingly unreal. This novel reminded me of a Saunders-lite experience, one which I enjoyed but did not fall in love with.
sarasanchez's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, War, Child abuse, Death of parent, Infertility, Abortion, Gun violence, Violence, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Ableism, and Animal cruelty
olivetales's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
abby_griesmar's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Trafficking, Vomit, War, Abortion, Dementia, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Child death, Violence, Addiction, Body horror, Gun violence, Infertility, and Death of parent
mairispaceship's review
4.0
In a book shop far from my home city, whilst buying a few gifts - I asked my husband to pick out a book for me to read. Something short, under 200 pages. Something easily manageable for the trip home too.
He'd said that unlike a lot of nationalities, books by Middle-Eastern authors were sorely under represented. So the two of us set out scouring the fiction shelves for titles. By pure chance, he picked up this one. Palestinian-Icelandic, and born in Beirut. Great! The front cover didn't jump out at me, but I wanted to give it a chance.
I wasn't disappointed! Maarouf's collection of short stories starts 'normal'. A kid in a war-torn area of the world concocts plans to make him (and his father) seem more intimidating so they won't be beaten up. Another story, a modern Midas, tells of mental illness through the lens of a man running up and down the motorway turning everything he touches into biscuits. Frankly it gets more and more surreal, later a couple decide to keep an aborted child in a water tank and invite all the village's children round to celebrate his fictional birthday.
The stories are weird, but wonderful. Charming, and often creepy.
I think its important that any work of art, novels included, makes you feel something, and thats why I'm giving Jokes for the Gunmen 4 stars. I'm genuinely unsure how much I enjoyed the book. Its true, I picked it up to read on the train home and I also finished it on the way home. But it wasn't just a short, throwaway read. It made a difference to my day. The world is now ever so slightly, but irreversibly different.
He'd said that unlike a lot of nationalities, books by Middle-Eastern authors were sorely under represented. So the two of us set out scouring the fiction shelves for titles. By pure chance, he picked up this one. Palestinian-Icelandic, and born in Beirut. Great! The front cover didn't jump out at me, but I wanted to give it a chance.
I wasn't disappointed! Maarouf's collection of short stories starts 'normal'. A kid in a war-torn area of the world concocts plans to make him (and his father) seem more intimidating so they won't be beaten up. Another story, a modern Midas, tells of mental illness through the lens of a man running up and down the motorway turning everything he touches into biscuits. Frankly it gets more and more surreal, later a couple decide to keep an aborted child in a water tank and invite all the village's children round to celebrate his fictional birthday.
The stories are weird, but wonderful. Charming, and often creepy.
I think its important that any work of art, novels included, makes you feel something, and thats why I'm giving Jokes for the Gunmen 4 stars. I'm genuinely unsure how much I enjoyed the book. Its true, I picked it up to read on the train home and I also finished it on the way home. But it wasn't just a short, throwaway read. It made a difference to my day. The world is now ever so slightly, but irreversibly different.