The Bus Driver Who Wanted To Be God & Other Stories

It’s all about the author!

This book was to be a gift, but even though the physical condition is great, it's not as good a book as the author's previous one. So, I'm donating it.

With this book I think the most important thing for any potential reader is to understand the genre before giving this book of short stories a read, because if you do not like this genre then you will not like this book. The stories are dark, and the author plays with irony and subtle twists. The author's worlds are not black and white but instead different shades of grey. If you don't enjoy flawed heroes who learn twisted lessons then this is not the book for you.With that said this book was an important read for me in that it illustrated just how big a role military life plays in Israeli culture and society. More than half of these stories had some theme of military service surrounding them. The author's stories tend to focus on youths, and so their eventual military service is a common theme. I guess it is difficult to understand just how much the military permeates Israeli culture when one is outside of this society. I have read a lot of books on Israel, but it wasn't really till this little book that the reality actually began to sink in that this is a very pervasive aspect of Israeli culture.As for the stories themselves the majority of them are about three pages long so expect to be sucked into this book very quickly. I found myself saying just one more until the book was finished. Of course I love this genre and style, so this book was bound to find a receptive audience with me. The author has a very nice style that sucks you in quickly then punches you in the gut before he moves onto the next story.Once again know the genre. If this genre appeals to you then you will love this book, but if it doesn't then you should absolutely skip this work because it won't appeal to you.

Recently, I was asked to create a video for my local high school library about my favorite book, and this collection of stories was my choice. The humor in an Etgar Keret story comes from a jagged-edged imagination and a perfunctory absurdity that makes it all seem completely plausible. This is true whether he's writing fiction or non-fiction, which is why I cherish this writer's voice and point of view (and why I also recommend his autobiographical collection, "The Seven Good Years: A Memoir"). When I read a Keret story, I feel like I've had a layer peeled off my eyes, not delicately either, but then like I'm looking at something I've seen before with such a fresh vision that it is unnervingly and hypnotically alien. My affection for "Kneller's Happy Campers" and the film to which it gave birth isn't something I know how to describe, so I won't try. I'll just say that it is a rejuvenated version of the road trip genre. Go there.

I (along with what I believe to be most of the other people reviewing) bought this book because I really enjoyed the movie "Wristcutters: A Love Story." Let me say, I was NOT disappointed!!With the exception of Wristcutters, all of Keret's stories in the book are REALLY short, even in comparison to other short stories that I have read. While I was initially concerned that I would not enjoy such short stories, I found that my initial thoughts were mistaken, and I greatly appreciated their length. This book is really easy to pick up and read when you only have a few minutes to read- say before dinner or during a break at work.I found all of the stories agreeable, but would have to say that my favorite story was "The Bus Driver Who Wanted to be God." I thought that both characters in this story were extremely likable, and I found the story to be rather sweet. However, in some of the stories, I believe that the ideas presented would be more relatable to someone more familiar with Israeli culture than I.

I might be going a little too far by calling this the best book I've read all year, but while the high of this book still lingers with me that's what I'm calling it. I'll admit the only reason I bought this book was to read "Kneller's Happy Campers" because it was adapted into the film  Wristcutters - A Love Story , but "Knellers" turned out to be the last story in the collection and it just didn't feel right to ignore the other stories.Etgar Keret doesn't disappoint. His style might be a little over the top for the average reader, but his imagination is just the sort of world I'd love to live in. From a town that houses the gateway to hell to a man who finds Heaven within a pipe, the book is filled with slice-of-life stories of average-joe characters who just happen to reside within the surreal.I should warn that if you're not into magical realism, bizarro fiction, or surrealism, then you should stray away from this collection. However, if you're seeking an exit from the monotony of your choice genre, this book might just be what you're looking for.

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.

Some gems in here. Some lumps of coal too, but I like his style. Go to a library and read first before buying, but I’m happy with the purchase.

Nessa coletânea, o autor nos dá histórias com o mesmo tom de seu único livro de contos lançado no Brasil (até a data em que escrevo a resenha), "De repente, uma batida na porta": leves, divertidos, por vezes cômicos, por vezes emocionantes. Aqui e ali, o autor faz um uso muito bom do realismo mágico, por vezes, apenas com o real, consegue escrever narrativas fantásticas. O maior conto do livro, "Kneller's Happy Campers", foi a pior, na minha opinião, por se estender demais em uma trama morna e pouco inspirada, mas o resto do livro é uma joia!

Etgar Keret offers a moving picture of the current world. Small victories, little defeats. Poetry of daily life, even if their most fantastic versions.

She loves it. Has been looking for it for some time and I was able to find it for her here.

I like his sense of humour. i read a few of the stories and found them funny; then I read them again and got something else: an unexpected glimpse into a corner of a life or place from a different perspective. It's a book that I might pick up on occasion and read just 1 story at a time.

I read this book in the subway: The short stories are perfect literature for the short rides every day to work (made my day start with a laugh and at times with a crude feeling that not everything needs to be explained ...). And the last story? Not really U-Bahn literature: Couldn't wait for the next day ride to finish it.