Missing Kissinger
In Keret’s second collection of short stories, we see once again how even apparent flights of fancy conceal biting criticism of our violent world. This is particularly prominent in military stories such as “Vaccum Seal” where an Israeli sageant abuses his new recruits to the point of despair. The hero thinks he can insulate himself from humiliation by sealing himself in cellophane, only to realize that it does not protect him from his inner pain. Other, apparently romantic stories, are ironic and dry. In “My Best friend,” a young man trying to seduce a girl manages to take her to his house. As they reach the door, they discover that it is wet with his best friend’s urine. This is enough for the girl, of course. “If your best friend pisses on your door, that’s got to mean something,” she says as she leaves. Like many of Keret’s lighter stories, the happy house of cards is knocked down and brings us back to bleak reality.
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“ Kafka in Israel!”
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“ Keret possesses amazing insight into the grotesque and the paradox of everyday life. Here lies the secret of his ability to describe how from the depths of a hopeless existential state, there repeatedly flash moments of overwhelming beauty. ”
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“ Keret writes almost as if he had been in New York in 1919 and his name was J. D. Salinger. ”
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“ Keret’s work moves toward meta-reality in a fast and loony way. [His] stories are surreal and sharp as quills because, through paradox, they depict what life is like in Israel…all narrated with maximum cool. His books smile bitterly, sarcastically. ”