The nickname for Tel Aviv...the sunny city is called “Bubble” due to its sense of complete separation from the violent, conflict country in which it is situated.

“Compared to Jerusalem—torn apart, exploding with nationalism, xenophobia, and religious zeal—Tel Aviv has not always been an island of sanity and serenity”.

However in spite of its warmly and polite exterior, Tel Aviv has quite a bit to hide.

“At any club, most of the people dancing around you to the sounds of a deep-house hit dedicate

The nickname for Tel Aviv...the sunny city is called “Bubble” due to its sense of complete separation from the violent, conflict country in which it is situated.

“Compared to Jerusalem—torn apart, exploding with nationalism, xenophobia, and religious zeal—Tel Aviv has not always been an island of sanity and serenity”.

However in spite of its warmly and polite exterior, Tel Aviv has quite a bit to hide.

“At any club, most of the people dancing around you to the sounds of a deep-house hit dedicated to peace and love have undergone extensive automatic-weapons training and a hand-grenade tutorial. This isn’t a conspiracy, just one of the fringe benefits of a country that institute mandatory military service”.



These stories are a varied eclectic collection of short stories from the Akashic Noir series. Most are ‘not’ by Etgar Keret.



The stories - 14 in this collection - reveal a darker side to Tel Aviv...

with underlying tension.



The first story, “ Sleeping Mask”, by Gadi Taub

is about an escort name Nicky who meets a girl named Shiri - half his age - in a cell phone store where he was buying untraceable phones for his ‘girls’.

Shiri needed money and inquired about prostitution.

After a hot night of sex between them both ...a more serious relationship developed. She started staying over at his house several times a week while at the same time working for him as a prostitute.

Nicky was falling in love with Shiri. He didn’t mind that she was working her ‘shifts’. It turned him on.

Nicky says:

“Our sex was like a tornado, our home was a warm slipper. In her denim cutoff‘s, curled up on the sofa, watching television, eating Häagen-Dazs ice cream straight from the carton. Until one night she said something strange”.

Shiri says:

“If I stopped working you’d break up with me”.

Nicky says:

“she was right”.

This story became oddly- gripping to the end.



“Women” by Matan Hermoni

begins at a funeral.

Nahum Tzobelplatz had an affair with another man’s wife - a famous man in the business world.



In “The Time-Slip Detective”, by Lavie Tidhar, an apartment building was blown up.



“Slow Cooking” by Deakla Keydar:

Refugees ran away from a political war from Ukraine villages to a war of survival in Israel.



I guess it’s not shocking that my favorite story was written by Etgar Keret called “Allergies”.

We meet Seffi -not a puppy- but not done growing.

Seffi developed a strange allergy to dog food. The veterinarian suggested the couple feed him fresh meat instead.

It’s a funny eye-rolling - story where a dog - a pigeon recipe with wine and stuffed rice - brings a couple closer together.



“There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness”.



At the end of the book I learned a little more about the contributing authors - which I found interesting.

But overall ... for anyone interested in Etgar Keret for the first time - this isn’t the book to choose.



Two stories really stood out for me:

“Sleeping Mask” and “Allergies”....

....the others were a mixed bag.











