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rbcp82 's review for:
Fly Already: Stories
by Etgar Keret
I never read for laughs, but Etgar Keret's superb story collection "Fly Already" just might have changed that. It has been such a long time that I genuinely enjoyed the humor (and not black humor) while reading fiction. Mainly because of my selection. What I can say is; Etgar Keret truly is a gifted storyteller.
I read Keret's story "To the Moon and Back" in a magazine and picked up this collection. Behind the humor rising from his use of irony in the storyline, another effect of his writing is the profound sense of parental love, in their infinite patience, in a way that somehow, children really fulfill one's life no matter how hard they make it for adults. Keret must be a person who loves children, someone who can delight in all the things children transpires in one's life. Many humor pieces come from the interaction between adults and children.
There are many unexpected turns in these stories, and not all of them are of equal strength in its effect (there are about 20 stories in this collection), yet, I would easily give A+ to five or more stories.
All stories take place in region around Israel. Many stories feature an everyday loser who gets the glimpse of grace in an unexpected place. They are heart-warming.
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At the escalator, he wants to go up the down side, for the fun of it, and I go along with him. It's a good workout for both of us. You have to run as fast as you can so you won't be dragged down, have to strain the whole time not to fall on your ass. Just like in life. A hunchbacked old lady who is coming down tried to argue with us, asks why we don't go up the regular way like everyone else. She'll be in her grave in another minute, and this is what bothers her? I don't even answer her. P. 74
"Nothing's happening with me," he says impatiently, "and I don't need to ask about the kid, I already know everything about him. I heard you on the radio a few days ago. All you did in that crappy interview was talk about him. How he said this and how he said that. The interviewer asks you about writing, about life in Israel, about the Iranian threat, and like a Rottweiler's jaw, you're locked onto quotes from your kid, as if he's some kind of Zen genius."
"He really is very smart," I say defensively. "He has a unique angle on life. Different from us adults." P. 24
Robbie's father was an officer in the army. His job was to defuse bombs. Robbie always thought that it was the most annoying and thankless job, because if you do it right, nothing happens, and if you do it wrong, not only do people say you did a lousy job but you get blown to bits. P. 104
A limp kind of happiness.... (what angels have)
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I read Keret's story "To the Moon and Back" in a magazine and picked up this collection. Behind the humor rising from his use of irony in the storyline, another effect of his writing is the profound sense of parental love, in their infinite patience, in a way that somehow, children really fulfill one's life no matter how hard they make it for adults. Keret must be a person who loves children, someone who can delight in all the things children transpires in one's life. Many humor pieces come from the interaction between adults and children.
There are many unexpected turns in these stories, and not all of them are of equal strength in its effect (there are about 20 stories in this collection), yet, I would easily give A+ to five or more stories.
All stories take place in region around Israel. Many stories feature an everyday loser who gets the glimpse of grace in an unexpected place. They are heart-warming.
------------------------------------------------
At the escalator, he wants to go up the down side, for the fun of it, and I go along with him. It's a good workout for both of us. You have to run as fast as you can so you won't be dragged down, have to strain the whole time not to fall on your ass. Just like in life. A hunchbacked old lady who is coming down tried to argue with us, asks why we don't go up the regular way like everyone else. She'll be in her grave in another minute, and this is what bothers her? I don't even answer her. P. 74
"Nothing's happening with me," he says impatiently, "and I don't need to ask about the kid, I already know everything about him. I heard you on the radio a few days ago. All you did in that crappy interview was talk about him. How he said this and how he said that. The interviewer asks you about writing, about life in Israel, about the Iranian threat, and like a Rottweiler's jaw, you're locked onto quotes from your kid, as if he's some kind of Zen genius."
"He really is very smart," I say defensively. "He has a unique angle on life. Different from us adults." P. 24
Robbie's father was an officer in the army. His job was to defuse bombs. Robbie always thought that it was the most annoying and thankless job, because if you do it right, nothing happens, and if you do it wrong, not only do people say you did a lousy job but you get blown to bits. P. 104
A limp kind of happiness.... (what angels have)
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