West Jerusalem Noir [Paperback]

Fifteen tales that capture the magic and mystery of everyday life in West Jerusalem, which has been the main area of Jewish population from the time of Israeli independence in 1948 . . . Whether these stories are peopled by soldiers, students, children, and parents, they keep asking, 'Who belongs in Jerusalem?' and its corollary, 'Who does Jerusalem belong to?'the central questions of this volume, which handles them with heartfelt sensitivity. Pushes the boundaries of noir in a welcome new direction.  Noir fiction can be defined as crime fiction with dark themes, often featuring 'a disturbing mixture of sex and violence.' The stories of? These two var?ied col?lec?tions of sto?ries, pub?lished simul?ta?ne?ous?ly, are set in a kalei?do?scop?ic Jerusalem that is impos?si?ble to describe with a sin?gle voice. Both vol?umes attempt to ren?der one of the worlds old?est, blood?i?est, holi?est, and most divid?ed cities . . . The sto?ries in? Fifteen tales that capture the magic and mystery of everyday life in West Jerusalem, which has been the main area of Jewish population from the time of Israeli independence in 1948 . . . Whether these stories are peopled by soldiers, students, children, and parents, they keep asking, Who belongs in Jerusalem? and its corollary, Who does Jerusalem belong to?the central questions of this volume, which handles them with heartfelt sensitivity. Pushes the boundaries of noir in a welcome new direction. [Of] the West Jerusalem stories . . . The best is Bernsteins Kafkaesque tale of hiding ones head to avoid noticing the violence thats happening all around . . . VERDICT: Rather than collections of crime noir, these are deep dives into the anguished psyche of a grievously divided city.