Suddenly, a Knock on the Door

February 13, 2012
In this slim volume of flash fiction and short stories, Israeli author/filmmaker Keret (The Nimrod Flipout; the film Jellyfish) writes with alternating Singeresque magical realism and Kafkaesque absurdity, to mixed effect. Bookended by cautionary tales of writers at work—the title story and “What Animal Are You?”—this collection often takes characters beyond their comfort zones into scenarios of twisted reality. In “Ari,” a man suspects that everyone named Ari is after him. In “Bad Karma,” an insurance salesman tries to recover from being struck by the body of a suicidal jumper. In the longest and most satisfying story, “Surprise Party,” three strangers are the only guests at a celebration from which the guest of honor is strangely absent, and then they help the man’s wife search for him, concerned that he may have suicidal or homicidal tendencies. Many of Keret’s stories are literary doodles; others seem to be concepts in search of a few good characters. Readers tuned in to the author’s narrow-band broadcast will be pleased. Agent: Anna Stein, Aitken Alexander, on behalf of Nilli Cohen at the Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature.

This is more than a collection of 35 short stories by the talented Israeli author. It's a meditation on the human condition, full of sharp observations, comic references, and devastatingly honest emotions. Some of the stories are uncomfortably truthful, while others are flights of fantasy. Narrating all of this is a stable of unique voices ranging from the authors Ira Glass, Gary Shteyngart, and Nicole Krauss to the actor Willem Dafoe, television writer and producer Josh Radnor, and others. Some of the narration can be uneven, but Keret's words redeem any shortfalls. Examples of the talented narrators include Josh Charles, who has a deep, round tone and a gentle manner that perfectly complements the author's words, and Adam Thirlwell's British accent, which supports a strong, robust reading about lying. It's an excellent audio and literary experience. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine