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Schlepping Across The Nile: Collected Stories
In the footsteps of Andre Aciman’s Out of Egypt , and Lucette Lagnado’s The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit comes Aaron Zevy’s Schlepping Across the a collection of vignettes, memoirs and stories, culled from Zevy’s first three books, which crackle with wit, brazen sentimentality and unfiltered self-awareness.
This collection adds a comic and often poignant twist to the story of the nearly 1 million strong Jews who lived in Arab lands before the second world war. But Zevy, the son of an ashkenazi father and sephardic mother adds some shtick to his recollections. His Ashkenazi side is the wry, bemused spectator of the antics and entanglements of his other half.
In Crossing the Nile, the young Zevy begs his mother to make Lipton Cup-A-Soup and grilled cheese instead of an Egyptian concoction for a Canadian friend coming over for lunch. In Shesh Besh, the grown up Zevy is terrified that the aggressive backgammon taught to him by his foul-mouthed uncles will derail a blind date. In Hanono, he is a second from bursting with excitement over a chance to finally fire a favorite juicy Arabic insult amongst Egyptian poker players.
Join Zevy as he navigates life as an outsider amongst outsiders, and remember, never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
Praise for Almost The Truth ...
from Midwest Book
"Almost the Stories and Lies is uniformly one of the more creative, satisfyingly reads of 2020. Readers who enjoy wry humor and life observations that depart from any anticipated pathway will delight in Aaron Zevy's collection, which is often politically or culturally incorrect in delightful ways."
-Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer
Praise for Not Book Club Material ...
From Kirkus Reviews :
"He’s at his best proving that the extraordinary exists within the ordinary. Readers will be drawn into these largely brief vignettes, and the line of demarcation between the real and the imagined will cease to matter. In fact, the audience will learn to embrace the messy mixture. (...)
"All the stories have the tenor of an intimate confidence—minor events are recounted in an informally anecdotal style brimful of lighthearted insights. This is a companionably diverting selection of stories, vibrantly humorous and thoughtfully perspicacious. Those in search of an easy but still engaging work will enjoy these offerings."
Starred Review from Blue Ink Reviews :
"The laugh-out-loud quality of his work makes fact or fiction irrelevant... His writing has a staccato-like quality... moving the story quickly along and making reading a delight... Like a good comedian, he always delivers...
This collection adds a comic and often poignant twist to the story of the nearly 1 million strong Jews who lived in Arab lands before the second world war. But Zevy, the son of an ashkenazi father and sephardic mother adds some shtick to his recollections. His Ashkenazi side is the wry, bemused spectator of the antics and entanglements of his other half.
In Crossing the Nile, the young Zevy begs his mother to make Lipton Cup-A-Soup and grilled cheese instead of an Egyptian concoction for a Canadian friend coming over for lunch. In Shesh Besh, the grown up Zevy is terrified that the aggressive backgammon taught to him by his foul-mouthed uncles will derail a blind date. In Hanono, he is a second from bursting with excitement over a chance to finally fire a favorite juicy Arabic insult amongst Egyptian poker players.
Join Zevy as he navigates life as an outsider amongst outsiders, and remember, never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
Praise for Almost The Truth ...
from Midwest Book
"Almost the Stories and Lies is uniformly one of the more creative, satisfyingly reads of 2020. Readers who enjoy wry humor and life observations that depart from any anticipated pathway will delight in Aaron Zevy's collection, which is often politically or culturally incorrect in delightful ways."
-Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer
Praise for Not Book Club Material ...
From Kirkus Reviews :
"He’s at his best proving that the extraordinary exists within the ordinary. Readers will be drawn into these largely brief vignettes, and the line of demarcation between the real and the imagined will cease to matter. In fact, the audience will learn to embrace the messy mixture. (...)
"All the stories have the tenor of an intimate confidence—minor events are recounted in an informally anecdotal style brimful of lighthearted insights. This is a companionably diverting selection of stories, vibrantly humorous and thoughtfully perspicacious. Those in search of an easy but still engaging work will enjoy these offerings."
Starred Review from Blue Ink Reviews :
"The laugh-out-loud quality of his work makes fact or fiction irrelevant... His writing has a staccato-like quality... moving the story quickly along and making reading a delight... Like a good comedian, he always delivers...
192 pages, Paperback
Published July 4, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 1, 2022
Absolutely hilarious and heartwarming collection of stories that bring up so many great memories of being a Jewish kid growing up with big colourful families in Canada in the 60’s and 70’s; and living life in Toronto.
Found myself laughing out loud, chuckling and sometimes wiping tears. There may be some differences in the foods and the languages but they still feel so familiar.
Home Made Cake, Caesar Salad; Yorkdale; I Shall be Released are just some of my laugh-out-loud favourites.
The one about the tractor brought back my Ulpan 1981-1982 fond memories and Aaron’s tribute to his mother of blessed memory made me tear up remembering mine (who I miss every day).
I have read some of these stories and met these wonderful characters (like Lewberg and Uncle Henri) in some of Aaron’s previous collections (“Almost the Truth”; “The Bubbe Meise and Other Collected Stories”) and they are just as funny and comforting to read again and again.
Found myself laughing out loud, chuckling and sometimes wiping tears. There may be some differences in the foods and the languages but they still feel so familiar.
Home Made Cake, Caesar Salad; Yorkdale; I Shall be Released are just some of my laugh-out-loud favourites.
The one about the tractor brought back my Ulpan 1981-1982 fond memories and Aaron’s tribute to his mother of blessed memory made me tear up remembering mine (who I miss every day).
I have read some of these stories and met these wonderful characters (like Lewberg and Uncle Henri) in some of Aaron’s previous collections (“Almost the Truth”; “The Bubbe Meise and Other Collected Stories”) and they are just as funny and comforting to read again and again.
July 18, 2022
I love this book of hilarious short stories. The author describes funny quirks of family members and the dynamics between them. They are a family of Jewish immigrants from Egypt finally settling in Canada. In the story Silver Tweezers we learn about the author’s father’s hobby of stamp collecting. We see it through the eyes of his young son who is in awe. In Caesar Salad The author pokes fun at his blind dating experiences. The last story is a tribute to his mother, who is in her 80s and keeps up with technology, Although she doesn’t know the difference between Facebook and FaceTime.
Zevy’s self deprecating humor gives us a laugh out loud read that is authentic and entertaining. Highly recommended.
Zevy’s self deprecating humor gives us a laugh out loud read that is authentic and entertaining. Highly recommended.
July 23, 2023
Aaron Zevy is a tremendous writer and a master of the short story. Each of his stories is carefully created with a mix of recurring and new characters, with humor and nuance throughout. While all his short story collections are extremely enjoyable reading, he is at his absolute best when he writes stories that connect to his personal and family background, as he does in “Schlepping Across the Nile”. A tasty mix of old world meets new world, Middle East meets Eastern Canada, with a hint of coming of age, are the ingredients for these beautifully crafted stories. Aaron Zevy, you have outdone yourself! Definitely recommended reading!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews