Customer Reviews

The Ascent of Eli Israel and Other Stories

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This stunning collection of stories leaves the reader transformed. Papernick's vivid prose is laced with visions and nightmares, beauty and blood, laughter and nausea, music and gunfire. Fascinating characters, at odds with themselves, seek to change an unfathomable land and instead find they are the ones altered.

The Ascent of Eli Israel is a vivid, disturbing, haunting, sometimes hilarious trip through the looking glass of modern Israel. The aftermath of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin is painted in vivid colors, as the Oslo Peace Records crumble, as suicide bombs explode in the streets of Jerusalem and ghostly Arabs appear, claiming the right to return to their former homes. Papernick brings the reader to a nightmare world of clashing national myths, in which both sides claim to have God on their side; to a world where the Messiah might appear at any moment to settle the score. These stories are not political stories, however. Papernick refuses to choose sides, to provide easy answers leaving readers to puzzle out their feelings. This is one of the best collections of short stories I have read in years. It stands not only as a great work about Israel and the workings of the Middle East, but also as a great work of fiction. The Ascent of Eli Israel is Papernick's first book. I can't wait to read his next.

The heir apparent to Singer, Malamud and Roth has arrived. Bravo!!! A breathless reading experience that doesn't let you go until you have reached the last word. Papernick's fictional world is at once funny, horrifying and real, like a punch in the gut. A must read for anyone who cares about better understanding the pain and joy of living.

The Ascent of Eli Israel simply blew me away and I encourage anyone with an interest in the Middle East or different worlds to read it right away. Jon Papernick's concepts for the stories are so imaginative and told perfectly, revealing all different sides of the struggle. They grab you. And the characters - whether you love them or hate them (and some are despicable), they move you and it is because of how skillfully they have been crafted. Sometimes I would reread sentences because of how beautiful they sounded even when the scene itself was not beautiful in that moment. You can tell the author spent time in Israel because the portraits he creates give a genuine sense of place and time. And the images are so clear cut, very vivid. The unease, the random violence, the hatred that feels oppressive. It was like sneaking into the country and hanging out for a few nights. The Ascent of Eli Israel is well worth your money and time.

The short stories in this collection are unlike anything else I've read, with fascinating colorful characters bringing Israel (especially Jerusalem) to life. Papernick is a unique talent whose work is a must read.

This book was one of the worst I've ever read. I had to drag myself through it. You might consider skimming through it in a local bookstore before buying it.