Ofir Touché Gafla

Ben kills himself to be reunited with his beloved dead wife, Marion, only to find that the afterlife is pretty much like regular life, except everyone is naked, you get a nice apartment, free public transportation and an apparent eternity to do whatever you want. But, no, at least for Ben, Marion.

As Ben tries to find Marion in "the Other World" life continues on in real life. The author introduces a cast of rich characters who's lives interact, in sometimes astonishing ways, with each other and with Ben's former life. This was the difficult part of the book. A new character would get introduced, and it might take pages to understand how this character fit into the overall picture.

There were times when, frankly, I wasn't sure what was going on, but I really wanted to know the mystery of Marion and why Ben couldn't find her. For long stretches of the book it seems as if Marion isn't really dead but surly she must be.

Ben does finally find Marion but the ending is nothing like I could have predicted. This very unconventional book stayed unconventional all the way to the end. It may have been unconventional but I was very satisfied with the ending.

If you're not afraid to read a book that may be frustrating at times I'd recommend this one.… (more)

This one is hard to review - on one hand, its a most lovely story, but on the other, its a bit pretentious. Its not written as a traditional fantasy story - but as a dream like stake of the other world, even though it is solid it has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Its a book about love, and obsession, and finding oneself. Who are you if your whole life revolves around your love.

Its a book that will stick with you.

But on the other hand, this book has a feel of hipster to it- that is to say it feels 'meta' and not really grounded. The story of Marian, and her family feels unnatural - like the author tried too hard to make it all fit.… (more)

If you're not bugged by the immediate premise (man blows brains out to follow wife into the after life, or "Other World") I want to know what you're smoking. Should I laugh? Should I groan? How about I just read and go along for the ride.

Early recommendation: a central device is an actual device called a "godget" (not misspelled). The use of the godget was complex enough that I turned down the bottom of the page so that when things like "three pressed seven times" crops up I could refer to the godget glossary referenced early in the plot.

This book has all the hallmarks of required reading in a "Contemporary Hebrew Literature" course at your local university. Additionally, it's entertaining as all heck. It even brought a totally unexpected tear to my eye at the end. Since the protagonist is an "epilogist," a new word for me which means a person who writes endings, it was no surprise that (at least for me) the ending was brilliant.

I can't say how good the translation is other than noting that it didn't read like a translated book, rather, the English was natural and flowing and even injected appropriate puns (e.g., "righter" for "writer"). Though I can't recommend this book highly enough, I do have two caveats: (1) this might get classified as science fiction and fantasy but it's really a fine book beyond any genre assignment; and (2) the section on homosexuality seemed odd enough that I'll chalk it up to being more satirical in Hebrew than in English.

Read this book.

NOTE: I received a free copy of this book for review purposes.… (more)