Multi-System

Yoav Katz`s stories, perfect examples of the well-constructed short story, faithfully describe the human condition in Israeli society with both sensitivity and compassion. His anti-heroes are reminiscent of Raymond Carver`s characters — ordinary folk who find themselves in complicated emotional situations, people with covert difficulties who are incapable of resolving their problems and giving meaning to their lives. There is little joy in Katz`s stories, but the misery fails to reach dramatic climax and life goes on. Katz turns his readers into active partners by allowing them to gather the clues and hints he gently drops along the way, until the heroes` riddle is solved, and the depth and beauty of the story open up like a fan. The human mosaic in this collection is varied: the opening story is about an Israeli man, married with one daughter, who has opened an electrical appliance store with a partner. Those around him see him as functional and normal; he even brings his in-laws a multi-system VCR as a gift. Observant readers will perhaps notice the insinuations regarding his darker side, but it is only at the end of the story that his true, violent nature is revealed — our “ordinary” hero is a wife beater. Violence, self-destruction, and low self esteem feature in the other stories in the volume. There is the homosexual theater director who suffers from an obsessive eating disorder. While on the train, his lover turns to him and says, “You disgust me, don’t ever touch me again.” The reaction is a brief and violent outburst which emphasizes the protagonist`s helplessness, which typifies most of the heroes in this work.