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    Almost Dead: A Novel
    Almost Dead: A Novel
    Almost Dead: A Novel
    Ebook361 pages5 hours

    Almost Dead: A Novel

    By Assaf Gavron

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Politically incorrect, provocative, and steeped in wit and irony, a fast-paced tragicomedy about the perfectly ordinary madness in today's Middle East

    A thirtysomething Tel Aviv businessman, Eitan "Croc" Einoch's life is turned upside down when he narrowly escapes a suicide bombing on the minibus he rides to work. When he lives through a second attack, and then a third, he becomes, reluctantly, a national media celebrity. Naturally, the Palestinian terrorists responsible for the attacks are less than happy. This embarrassing symbol of their failure—this "CrocAttack"—must be neutralized.

    Meanwhile, Fahmi Sabih lies in a coma, quarrelling with his conscience. The young Palestinian suicide bomber has learned everything he knows about bombs, targets, and revenge from his brother. So why has Einoch survived? As Fahmi's story unfolds, it becomes clear that their paths are destined to cross again—for there is another bombing still to come—and then luck will change drastically for one or both of them. But who, if anyone, has right on his side?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateMar 27, 2010
    ISBN9780062008602
    Almost Dead: A Novel
    Author

    Assaf Gavron

    Assaf Gavron is a writer and translator. He grew up in Jerusalem, studied in London and Vancouver, and now lives in Tel Aviv. In Israel has published four novels, a short story collection, and a collection of falafel reviews.

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    Reviews for Almost Dead

    4/5

    33 ratings7 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Mark a point for unlikely success. While not Woody Allen, there is a space for potential chuckles. Who would imagine that a novel predicated on suicide bombings could harness a humorous edge while tastefully plumbing the edges of the human condition? The plot doesn't exactly transcend or transform, but there remains a grist, somehow a smoke and beer appear applicable.
    • 4/5
      I actually liked this book more than I expected to. I'd probably give it a 3.5 if possible, but I'll just have to give it a 3, since I'm not entirely sure it rates a 4. The way it switches back and forth between the two main characters is interesting, to kind of see into the minds of the characters and understand their actions...
    • 4/5
      „Ein schönes Attentat“ ist ein Roman des in Israel bekannten Autors Assaf Gavron über den Nahostkonflikt. Das schien mir eine spannende Lektüre zu versprechen, dazu würde der Roman „fulminant“ und „witzig“ sein (gemäss Klappentext). Um es vorwegzunehmen: Witzig war die Geschichte nur stellenweise. Zum Glück nur stellenweise. Denn irgendwie hätte eine Brachialhumor-Erzählung nicht zum Thema gepasst. Zum Glück für die Geschichte vermei-det es der Autor, schnelle und einfache Antworten zu geben. Hauptpersonen sind Eitan Einoch, Spitzname „Krokodil“, der es in Israel zu einiger Berühmt-heit bringt, als er innert kurzer Zeit drei Attentate überlebt, und Fahmi, der als Täter an allen Attentaten beteiligt ist. Die Charaktere kommen abwechselnd zu Wort und erfahren insofern Würde, als ihr Schicksal ernstgenommen wird und ihre Handlungen zumindest teilweise nachvollziehbar sind. Dennoch müssen beide sich irgendwann die Frage stellen, weshalb sie tun, was sie tun. Und gegen Ende der Geschichte kreuzen sich ihre Wege. Ein wiederkeh-rendes Motiv, das ihre Gegenüberstellung spiegelt, ist eine etwas schräge Fernseh-Talkshow namens Arche Noah, zu der jeweils zwei Gäste mit völlig gegenteiligen Standpunkten eingeladen werden und sich dann zum Ergötzen des Publikums in die Haare geraten. Ein nachdenklich stimmender Roman, von dem ein paar hübsche Sätze in Erinnerung bleiben, etwa wie dieser, wo Eitan die Unterschiede von sich und seiner Freundin auf den Punkt bringt: „Es wird gut, und wenn es nicht gut wird, ist das auch in Ordnung. Das ist, was ich denke. Dutschy hingegen denkt, es wird nicht gut, und wenn es gut wird, ist das auch nicht in Ordnung.“
    • 5/5
      It would probably help if you had a basic understanding of the Arab-Israeli conflict before reading this novel. Following the lives of both an Israeli and a Palestinian in modern day Israel we see how the everyday lives they lead are tainted by the conflict and several terrorist attacks bring them both together. Don't be fooled into thinking that this is a depressing story as there is plenty of humour here. Both sides of the xconflict are accounted for and what really comes across is the simple frustrations of people who basically wanted to have a normal life but due to the conflict have been unable to. A vital book to read for anyone wanting to get a human aspect of the troubles in the Middle East.
    • 4/5
      Eitan Einoch ("Croc") is the miraculous survivor of three terrorist attacks in one week, one in Tel Aviv, one in Jerusalem, and one on the road between the two cities. He becomes a national hero, even as his personal life is falling apart. His story is told in alternating chapters with the story of Fahlid, a Palestinian terrorist who lies in a coma after an unsuccessful suicide bombing.This book explores serious issues with a sense of humor. (The blurb on the back of the book calls it "politically incorrect."). I've never been to Israel, but this book gives an even-handed sense of what it is like to live in constant fear of attack/loss of life, and what it is like to grow up and live in a Palestinian refugee camp. We come to know two sympathetic characters on opposite sides in a war that seems to have no solution
    • 5/5
      This is easily the best book I've read so far this year. Gavron has written a book that is not only insightful about Israeli society and its nemesis, suicide bombers, but one that is also quite funny, weird as that sounds. Every other chapter is told from Israeli Eitan's view point as he somehow manages to avoid one suicide attack after another. The other part is told by Fahmi, a Palestinian suicide bomber who, after his attack, hovers between life and death at an Israeli hospital where his muddled brain makes him reminiscence about his childhood and youth in the West Bank. Different as these two viewpoints seem, they converge throughout the story and, regardless of your personal views, Gavron manages to make both become comprehensible and as close to logical as may be possible.
    • 4/5
      what started out a little slow for me developed into a highly entertaining read and i'm so glad that i took a chance and picked this book up. Almost Dead has two running stories told in alternating chapters, each with its own main character.the first storyline is of Eitan, nicknamed "Croc", a Tel Aviv businessman who manages to narrowly miss three consecutive suicide bombing attempts, becoming a bit of a media celebrity, dubbed the "Croc Attack". the Croc is immediately likable, the type of person i'd like to know, but is just dealt all the wrong cards. through a few very serendipitous encounters, he finds himself hunting the true identity of one of the men killed in the first attack, all the while dealing with post traumatic stress disorder and an all too realistic failing relationship. the second storyline follows Fahmi, a member of a terrorist shell that has coordinated the specific attacks that Croc was coincindentally involved. throughout his chapters, he is in a coma, recalling the events leading up to his hospitalization. though Fahmi is a terrorist, he is written with compassion and has an honesty that you can't help but admire. his brother is the extremist leader of their unit and Fahmi is merely feeling the familial obligation of living up to his brother's expectations and his grandfather's legacy. however, when Fahmi's brother is captured, the task of killing the Croc Attack, who has humiliated their efforts, is in Fahmi's hands alone.the writing was sharp and humorous, and the story pulled along at a steady pace throughout. though i found the story of Eitan much more engaging than that of Fahmi to begin with, they actually developed well together and i found that by the end, i wasn't feeling that favoritism any longer. and the ending was just wow! i think i read the last 50 pages in a blink.the characters were well realized and were both relatable, in their own ways - Croc, with his optimism and huge heart, and Fahmi, with his misguided energy and love for his family. i was actually surprised to find that i had any emotion at all for Fahmi, but i really did, despite his position and his acts. altogether, this book just took me by surprise, in a good way.Almost Dead was an excellent perspective piece with a fantastic ending, and i would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in a slightly different take on terrorists and their victims.

    Book preview

    Almost Dead - Assaf Gavron

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