Pipelines

Keeping this at two stars mostly because of what I mentioned in an earlier update: I don't dislike it because it's crude sometimes or bizarre or rather very violent or revolting (that's all okay) but because it lacks the humanity you might find even in other shock lit, and certainly in Keret's inspirations (Vonnegut or Kafka, Coen brothers, Terry Gilliam). It's interesting and definitely no trash, but a few brilliant highlights aside, instead of bittersweet most of it just came across as bitter. My advice to an ultra short story aficionado would be to certainly try it but I've not become a fan.

It is not as good as Keret's later works, but it does expose his method (implicitly, as a sample of the author's early work, and explicitly, as in the story "Kohi 3") and shows a great writer im Werden.