JERUSALEM BEACH

Thirteen stories of contemporary Israeli life weave in and out of reality.

From a story called "Flies and Porcupines": "Since the day you enlisted, Yonatan, I've been trying to catch time. Literally catch it....At first I didn't catch anything, because catching time is truly tricky." From "The Girl Who Lived Near the Sun": "It's been a year and a half now that you've been traveling all over the solar system, without popping by to visit your old grandma even once." From "Debby's Dream House": "I found the job through a newspaper ad. I didn't even know there were people who built dreams." Originally published in Israel to awards and acclaim, many of the stories in Gefen's debut collection combine a down-to-earth, wry narrative tone with surreal or SF–esque premises. While one narrator actually does get a job building dreams, and also nightmares, another fixes a radio that can tune into people’s inner thoughts, while a third gets a job as a representative for a company called the Meaning of Life, Ltd. At a facility called Lucid Memo, people literally share their memories with others—and the pre-wedding couples who come in get a complimentary pampering spa treatment after the procedure. Some stories have more realistic premises, or somewhat more realistic, anyway: In the very long—too long—first story, "The Geriatric Platoon," the narrator is a man whose grandfather joins the military to alleviate his boredom. A military base is also the setting for "Neptune," so called because that's how far away from everything it feels—there, a mock trial is held for the crime of stealing a grilled cheese sandwich. Gefen's background as a neurocognitive researcher filters through the collection in stories that meditate on dreams, cognition, mental illness, and the inner lives of his characters. His philosophical concerns and ability to combine humor with grim resignation to the conditions of everyday life in Israel recall Etgar Keret.

With stories already optioned by Ryan Gosling and Warner Bros., the author seems poised for a successful American debut.