Customer Reviews

The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God & Other Stories

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Although wildly popular in his native Israel, this collection is the first of Keret's work to be published in the US. Two-thirds of the small book is given over to 22 equally small short stories, all ranging from 5-8 pages or so. These stories are difficult to characterize, although they generally feature alienated males (often children or teenagers), and the writing is universally deft and satirically witty with an underlying tone of irony and sorrow-occasionally drifting into unreality. Any description of them would not do them justice at all. I don't read enough American writers to think up a good comparison, although I would say Kerst shares some of Jonathan Lethem and Mark Jude Porier's territory. However, what the stories more similar to is some of the short fiction that came out of Scotland in the early to mid-'90s from people like Gordon Legge, Duncan McLean, and James Kelman, who also write very brief stories. Perhaps most of all, the book bears comparison to the absurdist fables of another Scot, Magnus Mills (All Quiet on the Orient Express, The Restraint of Beasts, Three To See The King). The novella which occupies the final third of the book, "Kneller's Happy Campers", about the afterlife of those who commit suicide, is especially redolent of Mills' odd and affecting mix of black humor and fantasy. The collection is drawn and translated from Keret's bestselling collections in Israel, and one can only hope that more makes it into English and across the shores.

Etgar Keret takes the term "short story" very literally. The majority of the stories don't exceed four pages. Keret doesn't engage in excessive prose, he doesn't devote much energy to setting a scene. He punches you on the nose with a story, then runs away. In the hands of any other author, this technique could be problematic: It doesn't allow the reader to truly know or care about his characters, and the only atmosphere present is the brevity of Keret's style. But it works because he is a very skilled storyteller, more concerned with walloping the reader over the head with a message and a purpose than taking the time to pull you into another world. Each story is a fable, a fairy tale. The short length and lack of detail can prove to be misleading--these are very complicated, well-thought out stories. They don't take long to read, but it does require time and brain-power to comprehend them.

A few stories fall flat. "Uterus," for instance. Sometimes I got the impression that something was lost in translation. But "The Bus Driver Who Wanted To Be God: & Other Stories" is a very satisfying collection, meaty in ideas if not physical heft.

I read this book in its Spanish translation before reading the English one -- they each read a bit differently but Keret's literary brilliance comes through in either: a forceful plunge into humanity's flaws.

The short stories are typical Keret, with distilled power and irony. I thought the book was good, but it was a bit darker than his Nimrod Flipout, which had a few more hopeful stories (which I really enjoyed).

There is no way to know whether you will like this book or not, because it's totally fresh and different from any other writer out there (to my knowledge; if I'm missing something please do let me know). This is a voice like nothing I've ever read, with incredible imagination and depth. A window into modern Israeli culture as well as some of the deepest and most raw human emotions, the kind you don't access in the course of normal life. And it was liberating - finally, a vision of the place our present lives occupy in the great big eternity or whatever this thing might be that's tangible and all the more meaningful for not being swept aside for a set of answers. Keret's is an anchorless irreverance; instead of bashing its head against some existing philosophy, it just lets itself unfold. Reading him was a completely new and revelationary experience for me and I would recommend him to anyone who can sweep aside everything they might have heard or read - including this review - and just read him with wide open eyes.

I was first introduced to Etgar Keret when I saw the film "Wristcutters: A Love Story." I enjoyed the film and decided to read the short story that inspired the film. I read through "The Bus Driver..." and fell in love with Keret's stories. The stories are brief, but are packed with humor, emotion, and thought. Keret's writing style is extremely unique, covering bizarre topics in such a casual style that you almost forget just how bizarre some of the stories are. There tends to be little to no point in some of his stories and they may not even have a sound conclusion, they just seem like random snippets of life, but it works! The stories seem like dreams transcribed onto paper. Keret is able to tell stories that would otherwise seem plain and mundane and turn it into a whimsical adventure. I would highly suggest this book to anyone interested in a quick delightful read.

Yes, that is what I can liken this book to. It is certainly a lesson to my genertaion. I found it thrilling as it bridged the generation gap for me.

Masterly drawings with words, with minimum of strokes! Like a Picasso of litearture. Bitter, for some of it is about the dark side of the moon, sweet, because the feeling you leave each little gem with is that though it is hard, bitter and sad, life is good despite of it or even because of it.

I have no doubt that Keret will survive for generations on book shelves and in readers hearts and minds.

The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God by Etgar Keret is a real fun book with substance created by the author's own unique style. He captures his readers attention immediately with his original style and talent . Brilliant plots, captivating characters, biting yet very precise images unfold a real innovative creativity.

A writer this original deserves an adjective of his own, for Keret's style is indeed unique. A true sign of literary genius, for me, is unpredictability. Every sentence in Keret's writing comes as a surprise -- and yet, at the same time, could not have been anything else. Keret deserves the attention he is finally receiving outside Israel.

I am usually not a fan of short stories, but this book is utterly amazing. Most of the stories are super short, and can be read quickly, but are still quirky, funny, thought-provoking and interesting. And very readable. You want to know more about the characters and be immersed in his worlds.

I am definitely going to check out more of his writing.