Keret is an Israeli author that I had not heard of but this book ended up on a lot of 2019 best book lists. His short stories reminded me a lot of George Saunders. They were very creative and definitely not for everyone. With the exception of the last story they were all very short. He mixed elements of fantasy, history, racial strife, etc. There was a lot cynicism in the stories but I found them very entertaining. The book was 200 pages so your investment is not large. I definitely am going to check out his other books. It should be noted that these stories were translations. One of the narrators was Nathan Englander who is one of my favorite authors. Definitely check this out. ( )

The first story, "Fly Already," was exquisite perfection.

The second story, "One Gram Short," was amusing and delightful. It would make a good Coen Brothers movie.

The stories that followed these first two, though, were each like a little jab to my soul. I kept reading but I wish I hadn't, and now that I've come to the end, I feel wounded and unhappy, and the images and feelings left in my head from these stories feel like little bruises. ( )

Wonderfully bite sized nano-stories each around a compelling concept or moral. I especially liked "Tabula Rasa" and "The birthday of a failed revolutionary", as well as the volley of emails comprising the escspe room story. ( )

Like modern Zen koans, Keret’s offbeat stories—most of them on the short side—add up to more than the sum of their parts. From “Goodeed,” an app connecting rich women with homeless men, to a future army that enlists high schoolers by offering Pokémon Go–type prizes, these are darkly funny pieces that gently but pointedly comment on how we live now. ( )