Amir Gutfreund Book order (chronological)

In this award-winning mystery by one of Israel's best-loved authors, a plot of vengeance reveals deeper truths about the complexity of being human. Coupon-clipping police superintendent Jonah Merlin thinks he has an open-and-shut case on his hands after the body of a beautiful woman is found discarded in a run-down building in Tel Aviv. All evidence points to two suspects, but finding them will require unorthodox methods to decode the cryptic words sprayed at every crime scene. As the body count rises, graffiti expert Rai Zitrin and precocious seventeen-year-old Zoe Navon agree to help Merlin uncover the connection between the killing spree and the words of Polish writer Bruno Schulz, who was murdered by Nazis seventy years ago. Why would a serial killer quote the famous author's poetic words of unrequited love? The search leads this unlikely trio on a race against the clock to solve the case before the killer has the last laugh...and the last bullet.

Journalist Leon Abramowitz never planned to immigrate to Palestine, but in 1922, after being sent to report on pioneers, he finds himself abandoned when his editor runs off with the paper's funds. This sets the stage for a narrative that follows Abramowitz and his two sons—one remaining in Europe, while young Haim joins his father, leading a group of orange pickers and destined for legendary status. The story also features Yehezkel Klein, an ex-underground activist who vows to protest against leaving his homeland; Lev Gutkin, a Russian armed with a gun after his assassination plot against Stalin fails with the dictator's death; David Bonhoeffer, a nomadic caretaker for the neglected; the late Naomi Riklin, who still influences her husband, Doctor Riklin; Rivka Abramowitz, who survives on lemons and spices; and Shmuel Klein, a medal-winner and pyromaniac electrician. This narrative serves as a counterpoint to the official Zionist story, focusing on those overlooked by history. It captures the complexities of human experience—anger, wisdom, despair, and love—while respecting the foundational myths of Zionism. Blending realism and fantasy, it deeply questions the purpose of existence in this land. Translated by Jessica Cohen from the Hebrew HaOlam, Ktsat Achar-kach.

Amir a Efi vyrůstají v rodinách poznamenaných holocaustem. Jejich dětství vládnou postavy dědy Lolka, válečného hrdiny a výstředního skrblíka, který podrobuje čajové sáčky "selekci", a dědy Josefa, učeného a svatého muže, který odmítá mluvit o minulosti. A tak jim nezbývá než pídit se po ní na vlastní pěst. Když dospějí, konečně se všechno dozvědí, ale i tak ale zůstane mnoho otázek nezodpovězených. Byla nacistická zvěrstva po zásluze potrestána? Jak pochopit ohavnost těch zločinů? Je rozdělení na oběti a viníky tak jednoduché? Jen svatí šli do plynu? Román Jídlo se nevyhazuje se citlivě a přitom s humorem vyrovnává s jedním z nejbolestivějších traumat izraelské společnosti. Zdánlivě autobiografický text, zalidněný desítkami historických i smyšlených postav, zpřítomňuje neotřelým poetickým jazykem hrůzy minulosti, jejíž stíny ovlivnily celou jednu generaci zachráněných.

Amir and Effi collected relatives. With Holocaust survivors for parents and few other "real" relatives alive, relationships operated under a "Law of Compression" in which tenuous connections turned friends into uncles, cousins, and grandparents. Life was framed by Grandpa Lolek, the parsimonious and eccentric old rogue who put his tea bags through Selektion, and Grandpa Yosef, the neighborhood saint, who knew everything about everything, but refused to talk of his own past. Amir and Effi also collected information about what happened Over There. This was more difficult than collecting relatives; nobody would tell them any details because they weren't yet Old Enough. The intrepid pair won't let this stop them, and their quest for knowledge results in adventures both funny and alarming, as they try to unearth their neighbors' stories. As Amir grows up, his obsession with understanding the Holocaust remains with him, and finally Old Enough to know, the unforgettable cast of characters that populate his world open their hearts, souls, and pasts to him. Translated by Jessica Cohen from the Hebrew Shoah Shelanu.