Tel Aviv Noir

Editors: Etgar Keret & Assaf Gavron

I had enjoyed the “Seven Good Years” by Etgar Keret and mistakenly assumed this was another book by the same author. When I got my hands on it, I realized it was a set of short stories by several up and coming Israeli authors. Etgar had one story in there and I didn’t care much for that one. However, there were many others that were outstanding. All of the stories are set in and around Tel Aviv and bring out the vibrancy and excitement of the city life. Interestingly the stories are listed in the contents with the street names or area in Tel Aviv that they are set in.

The first story “Sleeping Mask” by Gadi Taub had me riveted and holding my breath as I flipped the page to see what comes next. One is about playing detective at a startup, another is about the boring life of a person who works in grocery store and a third is about a tour guide. Every single one of them brings out a facet of the culture that is unique to Israel. When you have a few moments of spare time, pick up a random story in this book and give it a read.