Translated by Jessica Cohen

Absolutely Brilliant, or not?

My rating:  2 out of 5

Dov is performing stand up comedy, only he side tracks into his life story, with jokes.  Will everyone appreciate his act?

Winner of the 2017 Man Booker Prize, this is the tale of Dov’s stand up performance, seen through the eyes of Avishai, who has not seen or heard from Dov for decades, but has suddenly received an invitation to attend.   Although Dov is a comedian, his performance contains plenty of anguish and surprises, as well as some (coarse) jokes.    As Dov’s performance continues so the reader begins to wonder why Avishai has been invited, as does he, and how Dov’s story will end. 

Although set in Netanya, Israel, all of the action takes place within the comedy club, so little of Netanya is learnt. 

2*s from me  There was quite a bit of human interest, mostly sad, and observations into how we often have no idea of what is going on in the lives of those around us.  I finished the book because it was short (193 pages) and I hoped that something would happen to make it worth the struggle.   It didn’t.  

Very well translated.  There were quite a few words I needed to look up, so if you’re going to discover this book for yourself,  I recommend an e-reader.