Another entry to the Noir series by Akashic Books. This one takes place in West Jerusalem, which is the more Israeli/Jewish side. A lot of good stories, a few duds, which is the norm for anthologies. These are some of my favorite anthologies, I look forward to the newer entries ( )

As I write this, we're six months into Israel's full-out assault on Gaza and the Palestinian people, and to be honest, it's impossible to read this anthology right now without that context being a shadow over the stories. That's why I ended up putting off reading this arc, though I'm normally anxious to dive into a new Akashic Noir anthology as soon as it comes. That said, I did my best to separate current events from the stories I read as I moved through this anthology, and in some cases managed better than in others.

The stories that pay attention to the occupation were, for me, the most current-feeling ones, though they were often the ones that felt less 'noir' in nature. Many of these, though, felt as much like slice-of-life stories as fully built short stories in a noir anthology, and although the setting itself was brought to life over and over and over again, that sometimes seemed like the only connective tissue, even above tone and genre. And while I did enjoy a number of them, many felt somewhat unfinished or out of place.

In the end, I'm always glad to have been exposed to the new authors I find in a noir anthology from Akashic, but I'm glad this wasn't my first, or I'm not sure I'd feel the need to seek out more. I'd probably mostly recommend this anthology to readers who want to explore literature placed in Jerusalem moreso than to someone seeking a particular genre. ( )

west jerusalem noir introduces us to Israeli writers presenting a wide range of light to dark short stories. Turns out, that isn't my cup of tea. Of course the stories are mysteries of sorts with unexpected twists and turns and endings, but I didn't find them very engaging. None of the writing styles were particularly appealing to me so that I'd want to find more to read. One story is about a sheltered young man becoming entranced by a forward young woman. Another is about a young woman who drives over a person and drives away without helping. Another story deals with a pointless mission for the boss to a cemetery. Another is about a possibly staged murder for publicity. Perhaps something was lost in the translating. Either way, I appreciate the opportunity from Akashic Books and Librarything to read something a little outside my usual choices. ( )

Thank you for selecting me to read and review this one! I'm a big fan of short stories, and this books like this collection is a major reason for that! I liked all the stories, loved some of them, and learned something from all of them. It was interesting to see each author's perspective about the West Jerusalem area. I really like this idea of multiple stories by multiple authors, all set in the same place. It gave me, as a reader, a good sense of that area from all the unique perspectives. Excellent! ( )

The timing of getting this one is obviously weird. But I don't think it impacted my overall feelings about the collection. To me, this collection seemed to lack the strong guiding hand I was used to seeing over 18 Akashic Noir collections I've read. I'd say this ties for my least favorite and is a far cry from the majority.

Split into three parts, I thought only the middle was approaching the level of quality I'm used to and it didn't rise enough to lift the whole. It just didn't seem so noir - no detectives, no magical realism, few surprise endings. It's the first of the Akashic offerings that I'd summarize as "meh." ( )