false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178781107m/836957.jpg 836957 5 Etgar Keret's <I>The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God & Other Stories</I> stings and thrills with fierce fables of modern life. Set in landscapes ranging from "this armpit town outside Austin, Texas" to "this village in Uzbekistan that was built right smack at the mouth of Hell," these stories lay their plots' central tensions out plainly: "Dad wouldn't buy me a Bart Simpson doll," one begins. Then they take off like little roller coasters, careening through the pathos of Denis Johnson's <I>Jesus' Son</I>, the clowning of David Sedaris's <I>Barrel Fever</I>, the in-your-face violence of Quentin Tarantino, and the bewildered alienation of Franz Kafka. But readers need not know any of Keret's sources to enjoy his stories fully. The Israeli writer's aphorisms leap off the page and lodge themselves in the mind: "There are two kinds of people, those who like to sleep next to the wall, and those who like to sleep next to the people who push them off the bed." Keret's vernacular prose is fun to read, and his vision of the world is weirdly comforting. Happiness never really flourishes, but small hopes and graces abound. <I>--Michael Joseph Gross</I> 191662 28 1 2001 The Bus Driver Who Wanted To Be God & Other Stories total:457|5:156|4:213|3:65|2:20|1:3| 457 1870 752 92 836957 1592641059 9781592641055 420 85 4.09 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178781107m/836957.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/836957.The_Bus_Driver_Who_Wanted_To_Be_God_Other_Stories 5 3 false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Nov 06 19:40:42 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 06 19:50:59 -0800 2008
But there were a few stories here that turned on a dime from absurdist punk to pathos, took some smirky wise-ass jape (a pet nam...more...]]> 60423 0312339259 9780312339258 29 5 4.09 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170542067m/60423.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60423.The_Bus_Driver_Who_Wanted_To_Be_God 3 2 false Tue Apr 03 12:22:13 -0700 2007 Tue Apr 03 12:22:20 -0700 2007
dislikes:
1. Some of the stories just ended abruptly. I think this is really Keret's style and it is intentional more than it is lazy. But a lot of times a story would be over and ...more...]]> 836957 1592641059 9781592641055 420 85 4.09 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178781107m/836957.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/836957.The_Bus_Driver_Who_Wanted_To_Be_God_Other_Stories 4 0 false Wed Aug 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 12 13:31:39 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 12 13:45:43 -0700 2009
But, as many others have said in their...more...]]> 836957 1592641059 9781592641055 420 85 4.09 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178781107m/836957.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/836957.The_Bus_Driver_Who_Wanted_To_Be_God_Other_Stories 5 1 false Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Mon Jul 16 16:19:57 -0700 2007 Mon Jul 16 16:28:27 -0700 2007
There is one short story about a young...more...]]> 836957 1592641059 9781592641055 420 85 4.09 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178781107m/836957.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/836957.The_Bus_Driver_Who_Wanted_To_Be_God_Other_Stories 3 0 false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat May 23 10:33:58 -0700 2009 Sat May 23 10:42:34 -0700 2009 more...]]> 836957 1592641059 9781592641055 420 85 4.09 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178781107m/836957.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/836957.The_Bus_Driver_Who_Wanted_To_Be_God_Other_Stories 5 0 false Mon May 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed May 13 11:07:30 -0700 2009 Mon May 25 16:47:20 -0700 2009 more...]]> 836957 1592641059 9781592641055 420 85 4.09 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178781107m/836957.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/836957.The_Bus_Driver_Who_Wanted_To_Be_God_Other_Stories 5 0 false Mon Sep 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 21 22:57:36 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 28 00:37:28 -0700 2009 more...]]> 836957 1592641059 9781592641055 420 85 4.09 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178781107m/836957.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/836957.The_Bus_Driver_Who_Wanted_To_Be_God_Other_Stories 4 0 false Tue Feb 24 11:23:26 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 01 13:29:33 -0800 2009
In terms of quality and cohesiveness, this collection falls somewh...more...]]> 836957 1592641059 9781592641055 420 85 4.09 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178781107m/836957.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/836957.The_Bus_Driver_Who_Wanted_To_Be_God_Other_Stories 4 0 false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 22 07:24:42 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 31 22:49:01 -0800 2009 Kneller's Happy Campers befor...more...]]> 836957 1592641059 9781592641055 420 85 4.09 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178781107m/836957.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/836957.The_Bus_Driver_Who_Wanted_To_Be_God_Other_Stories 5 2 false Sun Dec 21 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 19 07:46:15 -0800 2008 Wed Oct 07 09:47:46 -0700 2009
Etgar Keret is awesome. These stories grab you by the throat and don't let up. Although they seldom exceed five tiny pages, they are memorable ...more...]]> 836957 1592641059 9781592641055 420 85 4.09 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178781107m/836957.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/836957.The_Bus_Driver_Who_Wanted_To_Be_God_Other_Stories 4 0 false Thu May 01 07:18:06 -0700 2008 Fri Feb 20 08:55:58 -0800 2009 more...]]> 836957 1592641059 9781592641055 420 85 4.09 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178781107m/836957.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/836957.The_Bus_Driver_Who_Wanted_To_Be_God_Other_Stories 2 0 false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Mon Nov 05 12:00:37 -0800 2007 Sun Dec 09 14:51:10 -0800 2007 OK, let me explain:
I read it because I was intregued after seeing "Wristcutters: A Love Story," the recent film release based...more...]]> 836957 1592641059 9781592641055 420 85 4.09 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178781107m/836957.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/836957.The_Bus_Driver_Who_Wanted_To_Be_God_Other_Stories 4 0 false Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Sep 14 19:37:56 -0700 2008 Sun Sep 14 19:55:01 -0700 2008 more...]]> 836957 1592641059 9781592641055 420 85 4.09 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178781107m/836957.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/836957.The_Bus_Driver_Who_Wanted_To_Be_God_Other_Stories 5 0 false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 01 08:18:43 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 01 08:18:43 -0800 2009
This is the second book by Etgar Keret I've read. I was expecting some inventive and enjoyable stories, but these surpassed my lofty expectations. I called a friend after the first few paragraphs of Bus Driver, saying that I had found my literary soul...more...]]> 836957 1592641059 9781592641055 420 85 4.09 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178781107m/836957.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/836957.The_Bus_Driver_Who_Wanted_To_Be_God_Other_Stories 3 0 false Sun May 17 08:38:52 -0700 2009 Sun May 17 08:48:02 -0700 2009 more...]]> 836957 1592641059 9781592641055 420 85 4.09 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178781107m/836957.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/836957.The_Bus_Driver_Who_Wanted_To_Be_God_Other_Stories 0 0 false Sun Aug 23 20:17:58 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 23 20:21:43 -0700 2009 more...]]> 836957 1592641059 9781592641055 420 85 4.09 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178781107m/836957.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/836957.The_Bus_Driver_Who_Wanted_To_Be_God_Other_Stories 2 0 false Sat Feb 21 00:35:42 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 21 00:37:28 -0800 2009 836957 1592641059 9781592641055 420 85 4.09 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178781107m/836957.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/836957.The_Bus_Driver_Who_Wanted_To_Be_God_Other_Stories 4 0 false Mon Feb 23 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 22 00:12:29 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 23 00:21:18 -0800 2009 and not just warped in the 'oh thats a bit odd, but cute' sense. no. warped.
he says so much in so few paragraphs. im quite willing to call him some sort of genius.
does anyone know if he's married?]]> 836957 1592641059 9781592641055 420 85 4.09 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178781107m/836957.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/836957.The_Bus_Driver_Who_Wanted_To_Be_God_Other_Stories 3 0 false Tue Aug 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 15 12:54:53 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 18 07:40:33 -0700 2009 836957 1592641059 9781592641055 420 85 4.09 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178781107m/836957.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/836957.The_Bus_Driver_Who_Wanted_To_Be_God_Other_Stories 4 0 false Thu Aug 20 08:21:38 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 20 09:02:54 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=836957