Jerusalem Beach, Iddo Gefen
Jerusalem Beach, Iddo Gefen
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
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Jerusalem Beach
Stories

Author: Iddo Gefen, Daniella Zamir

Narrator: Steven Jay Cohen

Unabridged: 10 hr 25 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/17/2021


Synopsis

For fans of Etgar Keret, a debut collection that fuses the humor of everyday life in Israel with technology's challenges and the latest discoveries about the human brain.

At once compassionate, philosophical, and humorous, Jerusalem Beach is a foray into the human condition in all its contradictions. Through a series of snapshots of contemporary life in Israel, Gefen reveals a world that's a step from the familiar.

A man's grandfather joins an army platoon of geriatrics looking for purpose in old age. A scheming tech start-up exposes the dire consequences of ambition in trying to share human memories. An elderly couple searches for a beach that doesn't exist. And, a boy mourns his brother's death in an attempt to catch time like flies in his fist.

Entirely heartfelt and infused with pathos, Jerusalem Beach is an exploration of both technology and the brain. Whether ruminating on the stakes of familial love or pitching the reader headlong into the absurdity of success and failure, Gefen leaves the listener intrigued throughout.

Contains mature themes.

About Iddo Gefen

Iddo Gefen was born in 1992 in Israel and currently resides in Tel Aviv. He works in neurocognitive research at the The Immersive Media & Cognition Group in Sagol Brain Institute, Sourasky Medical Center, and Tel Aviv University, exploring how storytelling can improve our understanding of the human mind. Iddo leads an innovative study to diagnose aspects of Parkinson's disease using storytelling and augmented reality. Jerusalem Beach is his debut collection, and recipient of the Israeli Minister of Culture Award; Iddo won the National Library of Israel "Pardes" Scholarship for young writers.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Bandit on April 06, 2021

I’m honored and privileged to be the first person to review this book on Goodreads. Because it’s really good. In fact, it’s dangerously close to excellent. For me the location was the main draw, I love reading internationally and have read some interesting things out of Israel. This short story col......more

Goodreads review by Neria on August 19, 2021

Basically, this is a must-read! I loved Jerusalem Beach so much. Waited the entire summer to get a book that would drag me into its stories like this one. I enjoyed every second of it, and couldn't stop reading the book from the moment I got it. It's so inspiring, empowering and mostly brilliant. Fo......more

Goodreads review by Marika_reads on July 27, 2023

4.5 „Jerozolimska plaża” to zbiór czternastu różnorodnych opowiadań zręcznie połączonych przez autora mikro detalami, warto być więc uważną i spostrzegawczą - ja oczywiście jarałam się jak tylko zauważałam wzajemne nawiązania. Dwa pierwsze teksy są najdłuższe i zajmują prawie połowę zbioru. Jednocześ......more

Goodreads review by Kasa on August 22, 2021

A beautiful debut, with some caveats. The stories I liked best in this collection are the ones more down to earth. When the venue shifts to outer space, I tend to drift. But the stories that grabbed me, such as the titular Jerusalem Beach, will stay with me. That one, in particular, was one of the s......more

Goodreads review by Suzanne on April 22, 2021

This is such a beautiful collection of short stories. Iddo expertly navigates through different perspectives, what it is to be human. All stories are set in different parts of Israel and having been there a lot brought everything alive. Israel is such an odd mix of "Western" and Middle Eastern and I t......more