Almost Dead: A Novel

by Assaf Gavron

Book Overview

An] original and powerful writer.... His clear and honest writing blasts right through the clich s and the politically correct surface to touch the chaotic and ambiguous core of the Israeli identity."... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061984043
• Release Date: April 2010
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.8" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

Also Published as Croc Attack! Get Whichever is Cheaper!

This book was originally published in Hebrew back in 2006 and was translated in 2010 by the author into English under the title Croc Attack! in Australia and some other markets. An interesting read under either cover. It isn't really a comedy novel as implied on the cover and promotional blurb, however it is still a light read, even though it does deal with dark topics such as the terror of living under occupation, the fear of constant terrorist attacks, and the aftermath of violent incidents involving both. The great thing about this book is that it pretty much remains neutral, with a Jewish main character, and a Palestinian one, both dealing with attacks from the other side. Will either embrace the hatred members of their respective communities are telling them they should as atrocities happen more and more around them? You'll have to read to find out. One thing that sort of gives away some surprises in the plot was that both characters are telling their story as a flashback, so hence you know they are still around to tell it. During events that you wouldn't otherwise know if they'll survive or not, might have been a bit more tension to read, if it had been written in an as it happens style. The main Jewish character Eitan Enoch is nicknamed Croc, as Tanin a shortened version of his name, is a Hebrew word that translates to crocodile. Croc, a Tel Aviv resident, catches a mini bus to work as he theorises terrorists would obviously bomb the bigger target of a full size bus. A racist old lady on board sees a dark skinned man get on the bus and immediately assumes he's a terrorist, getting off in panic down the road. Eitan and the man beside him hadn't considered the man to be anything but another passenger until the woman had said anything. The man asks Eitan to pass on a message to his girlfriend if he doesn't make it and Eitan refuses to even hear it, getting off at the stop outside of his workplace. The mini bus explodes as he is going up the lift. So begins the start of a series of remarkable near misses with terrorist attacks as Eitan tries to honour the man on the bus' by tracking down the girlfriend who lives in Jerusalem, and just telling the story of the man's final journey on Little no. 5. A terrorist in a coma, also tells himself, and us the reader, the story of how he got to be there.

Two sides to the proverbial coin

This is easily the best book I've read so far this year. Gavron has written a book that is not only insightful about Israeli society and its nemesis, suicide bombers, but one that is also quite funny, weird as that sounds. Every other chapter is told from Israeli Eitan's view point as he somehow manages to avoid one suicide attack after another. The other part is told by Fahmi, a Palestinian suicide bomber who, after his attack, hovers between life and death at an Israeli hospital where his muddled brain makes him reminiscence about his childhood and youth in the West Bank. Different as these two viewpoints seem, they converge throughout the story and, regardless of your personal views, Gavron manages to make both become comprehensible and as close to logical as may be possible.

quirky, oddly humorous, gripping all the way to the end

what started out a little slow for me developed into a highly entertaining read and i'm so glad that i took a chance and picked this book up. Almost Dead has two running stories told in alternating chapters, each with its own main character. the first storyline is of Eitan, nicknamed "Croc", a Tel Aviv businessman who manages to narrowly miss three consecutive suicide bombing attempts, becoming a bit of a media celebrity, dubbed the "Croc Attack". the Croc is immediately likable, the type of person i'd like to know, but is just dealt all the wrong cards. through a few very serendipitous encounters, he finds himself hunting the true identity of one of the men killed in the first attack, all the while dealing with post traumatic stress disorder and an all too realistic failing relationship. the second storyline follows Fahmi, a member of a terrorist shell that has coordinated the specific attacks that Croc was coincindentally involved. throughout his chapters, he is in a coma, recalling the events leading up to his hospitalization. though Fahmi is a terrorist, he is written with compassion and has an honesty that you can't help but admire. his brother is the extremist leader of their unit and Fahmi is merely feeling the familial obligation of living up to his brother's expectations and his grandfather's legacy. however, when Fahmi's brother is captured, the task of killing the Croc Attack, who has humiliated their efforts, is in Fahmi's hands alone. the writing was sharp and humorous, and the story pulled along at a steady pace throughout. though i found the story of Eitan much more engaging than that of Fahmi to begin with, they actually developed well together and i found that by the end, i wasn't feeling that favoritism any longer. and the ending was just wow! i think i read the last 50 pages in a blink. the characters were well realized and were both relatable, in their own ways - Croc, with his optimism and huge heart, and Fahmi, with his misguided energy and love for his family. i was actually surprised to find that i had any emotion at all for Fahmi, but i really did, despite his position and his acts. altogether, this book just took me by surprise, in a good way. Almost Dead was an excellent perspective piece with a fantastic ending, and i would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in a slightly different take on terrorists and their victims.

Wickedly funny, wickedly perverse, a tour de force

This was a 2-sitting read. Just could not put it down. There are two primary actors in this Israeli-Palestinian comedy/drama/war story. Croc is Israeli and survives three suicide bombings. Fahmi is a Palestinian bomber who survives his own attempted martyrdom, most of the book in a coma. The chapters alternate: Croc and his life, his loves, his job, his remembrances of his military duty. He becomes a national hero. Fahmi in his coma-state, inside his head, relives his life, the intifada, what it's like to be occupied, the humiliations, the suffering. The history of his family going back to 1948, and what life was like before 1948. The Israelis hate the Palestinians, the Palestinians hate the Israelis. In Gavron's story, nothing is sacred and all participants are torn to shreds. I'm going to quote Geraldine Brooks from the front cover: Assaf Gavron has done the impossible: written a darkly funny novel about suicide bombing. In a dazzling display of empathy, Gavron creates two equally compelling narrators......This is a virtuoso work: a pitch-perfect rendering of real Israeli life in all its chaos, energy, humor and terror. ..." And there's a good blurb on the back by Etgar Keret who is no slouch when it comes to darkly humorous fiction. I won't spoil the end. I wanted to speed-read the last 50 pages because I could hardly wait to know what happened! Wow, this was really a thrilling literary experience.