Fly Already (2013-2018 Hebrew, 2019 Yiddish Translation, 2019 English Translation) By Etgar Keret

 

“Daddy Look!”  It is amazing how two people can look at the same situation and produce entirely different interpretations. For example: a father is taking his son to the park when the kid spots a man standing on the edge of a roof top. “Is he a superhero?” asks the kid, as his father yells “don’t do it!”  Ah, the trials and tribulations of being a dad, talking down a potential suicide, without alarming his son. “Fly already” shouts the kid!

Fly Already is the title story in a 2019 English translation of short stories by Etgar Keret, a phenomenal and fun writer. I have read several of his books and attended a lecture he gave in Chicago some years ago. He has a virtual trademark irreverent sense of humor, fun despite his seeming obsession with suicides, a frequent subject in his writing.

Many of his works have a semi-autobiographical touch to them, particularly those with a father and young son storyline. Keret explained once that as a writer he does not work regular hours, so he is similar to a “stay at home Dad,” while his wife works a 9 to 5-plus. He spends a lot of time at the playground in the park.

In addition to Fly Already, other stories in the collection are:

A sad, but hysterically funny story about a man who seems to have failed at everything in life, titled The Next-to-Last Time I Was Shot Out of a Cannon.

The book’s cover art, a fish smoking on a balcony, relates to At Night, a short story about a boy who cannot sleep and gets out of bed. Every night he sees a Goldfish who has exited its fishbowl and is watching television with the volume turned off. The fish will go back into the bowl before dawn.

One of the less funny stories in the collection is Windows, about a man who has been hit by a car and loses his memory. He is placed in an “apartment” to recuperate and is monitored via video cam. He is only able to phone and speak with the people at the support center. He no longer knows how long he has been in rehab.

In divorce cases involving child custody Judges routinely pre-judge the mother to be the better parent and award her custody without any consideration as to whether or not that is actually true. In To The Moon and Back a father never gets to see his kid on his birthday, always the next day. Equally routine, fathers will then overdo it on a birthday present.

Dad With Mashed Potatoes is a thought-provoking story about how children whose fathers have “gone away” find a rabbit and pretend that Dad has not really gone away, he has merely shape shifted. Drives the mother nuts.

In all there are twenty-two short stories in this collection.

Recommendation:  Light reading, fun.

I’ve previously blogged Keret’s: Suddenly a Knock at the Door and The Seven GoodYears, a Memoir.