This is a witty and engaging memoir written by one of Israel's most talented and published authors. I had read previously two of his short story collections and this is his first piece of non-fiction published in English. Throughout there is mordancy, wit, subtle humour, insight and self-deprecation. The “good years” of the title relate to the period when Keret was both a father to his newborn son and his own father remained alive. Writing for Keret is both observation and catharsis. His genius is to capture a lot (a vignette, and emotion) in a small space of text. In this sense Keret reminds me of George Saunders. Similar to the American author, Keret is able to move deftly from the micro of parenthood to the macro of Israel's geopolitics and to merge the two effectively. His is a world of both wonder and incredulity, all the more poignant reading this with Israel and Iran at war.
By Etgar Keret