Tel Aviv Noir

By Gai Ad, Shimon Adaf, Gon Ben Ari and 10 more

Gon Ben Ari's story "Clear Recent History" has been named a finalist for the Private Eye Writers of America Shamus Award for Best P.I. Short Story!

"This consistently strong collection showcases a group of Israeli writers who are not well known in the U.S. Definitely one of the highlights in the long-running Akashic series."
--Booklist, Starred review

"May be the very best in a generally solid series....This collection escapes the limits of formula fiction and sets the bar high for subsequent Noir offerings. The genre is hot, Tel Aviv is exotic, and this volume is outstanding. What's not to like?"
--Library Journal, Starred review

One of Jewish Journal's Noteworthy Books for the New Year

"Even in the Holy Land, people find ingenious ways to screw up their own lives, as the latest entry in Akashic's Noir Series proves....Editors Keret and Gavron stress not what makes Tel Aviv unique but what it has in common with other cities: its people's endless, often fruitless struggle to cash in on a losing hand."
--Kirkus Reviews

"There's a marvelous underlying tension to [the stories], a paranoid tinge, as if some vast monstrous conspiracy is lurking behind every misdeed and bad stroke of luck."
--San Francisco Book Review

"The collection reflects much of the daily reality of the city, but not the sort one is likely to read in tour guides....There's a complexity and virtuosity to plot and prose that leaves the reader with a sense of satisfaction and appreciation, despite the typically devastating denouement of the tales....Superb."
--PopMatters

"Readers interested in exploring the dark side of Tel Aviv will be fascinated by these short pieces of noir literature."
--Times of Israel

Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies, launched with the summer '04 award-winning best seller Brooklyn Noir. Each book is comprised of all-new stories, each one set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respective city. For Tel Aviv Noir, Etgar Keret and Assaf Gavron have masterfully assembled some of Israel's top contemporary writers into a compulsively readable collection.

From the introduction by Etgar Keret:

"In spite of its outwardly warm 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...The workers washing the dishes in the fluorescent-lit kitchen of that same club are Eritrean refugees who have crossed the Egyptian border illegally, along with a group of bedouins smuggling some high-quality hash, which the deejay will soon be smoking on his little podium, right by the busy dance floor filled with drunks, coked-up lawyers, and Ukrainian call girls whose pimp keeps their passports in a safe two streets away. Don't get me wrong--Tel Aviv is a lovely, safe city. Most of the time, for most of its inhabitants. But the stories in this collection describe what happens the rest of the time, to the rest of its inhabitants. From one last cup of coffee at a café targeted by a suicide bomber, through repeat visits from a Yiddish-speaking ghost, to an organized tour of mythological crime scenes that goes terribly wrong, the stories of Tel Aviv Noir reveal the concealed, scarred face of this city that we love so much."

Featuring brand-new stories by: Etgar Keret, Gadi Taub, Lavie Tidhar, Deakla Keydar, Matan Hermoni, Julia Fermentto, Gon Ben Ari, Shimon Adaf, Alex Epstein, Antonio Ungar, Gai Ad, Assaf Gavron, Silje Bekeng, and Yoav Katz; translated by Yardenne Greenspan.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Akashic Books
• Release date: Sep 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9781617753350

Gai Ad

Gai Ad was born in Beersheba and at the age of seventeen, following her father’s death, moved to Tel Aviv, where she still lives with her family today. She is a graduate of life sciences at Tel Aviv University. In the 1990s she lived in New York and worked with Alzheimer’s patients, which was the basis for her novel 7 Harimon St., winner of Israel’s Prime Minister’s Prize. She has published four books and the latest one, The Gauchmans, was long-listed for the Sapir Prize.

Reviews for Tel Aviv Noir

[paulberauer · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fascinating look look into the seedy underbelly of Israel's capital, this collection of short stories range from terrifying, to mystical to humorous. At a time when most of the world looks at Israel through the lens of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, this book is a great reminder of the fact that Israel is a nation of ordinary people. Religious, atheist, police and criminal, all kinds of people make an appearance here. Definitely worth reading if you're interested in either noir, or just getting a glimpse of the seedy underbelly of Israel.

[kordo_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fascinating look look into the seedy underbelly of Israel's capital, this collection of short stories range from terrifying, to mystical to humorous. At a time when most of the world looks at Israel through the lens of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, this book is a great reminder of the fact that Israel is a nation of ordinary people. Religious, atheist, police and criminal, all kinds of people make an appearance here. Definitely worth reading if you're interested in either noir, or just getting a glimpse of the seedy underbelly of Israel.

[andrewreads_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a nice collection with a fairly wide range of stories. Some of them feel like true, hard-boiled, I'm-surprised-that-Philip-Marlowe-hasn't-showed-up-yet stories, while others are more akin to bizarre/weird/difficult to understand ghost stories. Although all of these stories do take place in Israel (mostly in Tel Aviv), the setting has more of a supporting role as opposed to the lead; most of these characters seem like they could be found in the underbelly of any big city. The stories "Sleeping Mask", "Swirl", "Allergies", and "Center" each struck me as being particularly strong, but I was happy to have read almost all of the chapters in this collection.

[berthirsch · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have enjoyed several books of these Noir series which holds up well in this latest installment: Tel Aviv Noir. Edited by the critically acclaimed Etgar Keret these stories give the reader a glimpse of the underside of life that exists not just in Tel Aviv but in most cosmopolitan settings.Like in any city there are businessmen cutting corners, gangsters taking advantage of others, and everyday people who get caught up in a web of suspense.I recommend this volume to fans of suspense with an interest in present day Israeli life.

[5eva5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is another installment in Akashic's long series of short story collections, this one centered around the city of Tel Aviv. Like the other installments, this one contain many stories that aren't strictly "noir" (in truth, in this one, they're not even all mysteries), but there isn't one story in this group that isn't a solidly good read. What you do get in this collection is a view into the darker side of life in "Ha-Buah" (Hebrew for "The Bubble") which, as Keret points out in his intro, is a nickname for Tel Aviv because it is so much more like a small European city than it is like an Israeli city - a little bubble of Europe in the Middle East. The collection is so even and balanced that I can't even pick a favorite story - they all have captivating characters, unexpected twists, and something to say that you will want to hear. If you're looking for mysteries, it's perhaps not a collection for you, but if you're after some imaginative stories about life, you won't regret picking up a copy of this book.

[sean191 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Akashic Noir really has a great track record. They offer up topnotch writers and captivating stories. Tel Aviv Noir is right on track with that reputation. I'd say that there were a couple of stories I didn't care for but overall, an excellent collection. Lavie Tidhar's "Time-Slip Detective" was a real standout - that story gave me the chills and I don't think I've warmed up since.

[acvickers · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

All of the stories in this fine collection, as evidenced by the title, revolve around the city of Tel Aviv, Israel, the setting ranging from Florentin to Rabin Square to Levinsky Park. Tel Aviv, known as the country's financial capital, doesn't usually conjure of thoughts of criminal activity and general darkness. Yet this collection brings forth just that, showing that even the sunniest of places have their deep, dark underbellies. In the introduction to the collection, master short story writer Etgar Keret states exactly that. He says that when he was first approached to write the introduction, he believed that it was a mistake, for noir and Tel Aviv, a city he loves and cherishes, do not go hand in hand. This collection is well put-together, nicely written, and intensely revealing. I feel it, in no way, does the city of Tel Aviv any injustice. It merely paints the darker side of a brighter picture which, when paired together, make for the stark reality.My favorite story in the collection, and maybe I'm a little bit biased because I am a huge Etgar Keret fan, is definitely "Allergies." It is about a young married couple who want to have a child. The wife is barren, but does not want to adopt. Instead the couple spontaneously decides to get a dog (which they oddly enough adopt). Trying not to give too much away...this dog causes the couple all kinds of problems, both with other individuals and in their marriage. The story is both humorous and sad, but nicely depicts the struggle of an average couple. The stories include:Part I: Encounters: “Sleeping Mask” by Gadi Taub; “Women” by Matan Hermoni; “The Time-Slip Detective” by Lavie Tidhar; “Slow Cooking” by Deakla KeydarPart II: Estrangements: “Clear Recent History” by Gon Ben Ari; “Saïd the Good” by Antonio Ungar; “Swirl” by Silje Bekeng; “My Father’s Kingdom” by Shimon Adaf; “Who’s a Good Boy!” by Julia Farmentto.Part III: Corpses: “The Tour Guide” by Yoav Katz; “Death in Pajamas” by Alex Epstein; “The Expendables” by Gai Ad; “Allergies” by Etgar Keret; “Center” by Assaf Gavron.

[banjo123 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this selection of stories, even though Noir is not normally my genre. I took the advise of another reviewer, and read these stories on at a time (one a day for me) which I think was helpful. In his introduction, explains that Tel Aviv Noir is a bit of a stretch, since Tel Aviv is a lovely, sunny, safe city, however, there is an underbelly. This book is about the underbelly; stories about criminals, drug-users, prostitutes, etc. Stories that make your skin crawl. That said, the scariest of the stories was the story by Keret himself, “Allergies,” which is about a seemingly regular, middle class, childless story.Not all of these stories are winners, but the over-all quality is very high. Some of my other favorites: “”Sleeping Mask” by [[Gadi Taub]]; “Slow Cooking” by [[Deakla Keydar]] and “The Tour Guide” by [[Yoav Katz]]

[esta1923 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

tel aviv noir edited by Etgar Keret and Assaf Gavron is one of a series published by Akashic Books.In his introduction Keret says that his eight-year-old son "walks to school by himself every day, fearlessly," but also tells us that these stories truly "reveal the concealed, scarred face of this city that we love so much."I appreciated the information about the five women and ten men who wrote the stories.It is best to read these stories one at a time. Here's a guide: *Encounters"The Sleeping Mask" is realistic (and unpleasant)."Women" is a gentle ghost story."The Time-Slip Detective" features lovely Erzebet who is either a ghost or a time traveler."Slow Cooking" is confusing but merits re-reading. Its supermarket setting is realistic, its ending loving. *Estrangements"Clear Recent History" posits a dismal future."Said the Good" (translated from Spanish), has a complicated plot. "Swirl" portrays ex-pats beset by odd happenings."My Father's Kingdom" is a story I read several times without ever quite understanding."Who's a Good Boy" follows two aggressive young girls. * Corpses"The Tour Guide" demonstrates that paying protection money may not be enough."Death in Pajamas" details strange doings in a coffee shop."The Expendables" gives us a widow who has a son and a complicated business partner."Allergies" is about an adopted dog whose eating problems cause serial complications for its human owners."Center" has a puzzling ending for the reader to solve.