Suddenly, a Knock on the Door

Stories

By: Etgar Keret

Narrated by: Ira Glass, Willem Dafoe, Ben Marcus, Gary Shteyngart, Michael Chabon, Neal Stephenson, Nicole Krauss, Josh Radnor

Length: 5 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Nominee, Multi-voiced Performance, 2013

Read by an all-star cast and featuring a bonus story special to the audio edition, Suddenly, a Knock on the Door is a one-of-a-kind audiobook.

Bringing up a child, lying to the boss, placing an order in a fast-food restaurant: in Etgar Keret’s new collection, daily life is complicated, dangerous, and full of yearning. In his most playful and most mature work yet, the living and the dead, silent children and talking animals, dreams and waking life coexist in an uneasy world. Overflowing with absurdity, humor, sadness, and compassion, the tales in Suddenly, a Knock on the Door establish Etgar Keret—declared a "genius" by The New York Times—as one of the most original writers of his generation.

Audio Track listing: "Suddenly, a Knock on the Door", read by Ira Glass; "Lieland", read by Adam Thirlwell; "Cheesus Christ", read by Dave Eggers; "Simyon", read by Nicole Krauss; "Shut", read by George Saunders; "Healthy Start"; read by Ben Foster; "Teamwork", read by Mathieu Amalric; "Pudding", read by Aimee Bender; "Unzipping", read by Miranda July; "The Polite Little Boy", read by Ben Marcus; "Mystique", read by Willem Dafoe; "Creative Writing", read by Stanley Tucci; "Snot", read by John Sayles; "Grab the Cuckoo by the Tail", read by Gary Shteyngart; "Pick a Color", read by Robert Wisdom; "Black and Blue", read by Stella Schnabel; "What Do We Have in Our Pockets?" read by Michael Chabon; "Bad Karma", read by Lorin Stein; "Ari", read by Rick Moody; "Bitch", read by Nathan Englander; "The Story, Victorious", read by Scott Shepherd; "A Good One", read by David Rakoff; "What, of This Goldfish, Would You Wish?" read by Gary Shteyngart; "Not Completely Alone", read by Michael Chernus; "One Step Beyond", read by Shea Wigham; "Big Blue Bus", read by Josh Charles; "Hemorrhoid", read by Michael Buscemi; "September All Year Long", read by Neal Stephenson; "Joseph", read by Mark Duplass; "Mourners Meal", read by Shalom Auslander; "Parallel Universes", read by Todd Hasak-Lowy; "Upgrade", read by Josh Radnor; "Guava", read by Ira Glass; "Surprise Party", read by Scott Shepherd; "What Animal Are You?" read by Jonathan Safran Foer; and "Asthma Attack", read by Etgar Keret.

Translated by:

• Nathan Englander
• Miriam Shlesinger
• Sondra Silverston

©2012 Etgar Keret (P)2012 Macmillan Audio

Excellent performace. Uneventful stories.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend this book to a select group of friends. It is certainly not for everyone. It is very slow...

Would you recommend Suddenly, a Knock on the Door to your friends? Why or why not?

I would recommend this book to a select group of friends. It is certainly not for everyone. It is very slow...

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

The narrators's perfomance were exceptional! Ira Glass and David Rakoff, anyone?!?!

Could you see Suddenly, a Knock on the Door being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

If this book were made into a movie or TV series, I could see it being an independent drama or just a dark, artsy flick.

amazing

Loved every story, the perfect circumscribed to my morning commutes, nightly jogs and general moment of quiet contemplation.

Amazingly crafted and inventive stories

A remarkably inventive collection of stories, mostly quite short. By turns heart-breaking, humorous, and thought-provoking. The lineup of talented writers and actors who narrated is also remarkable.
Can’t wait to try Keret’s other collections.

Attention "This American Life" fans!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I would and have recommended everything Etgar Keret has written to friends. Keret writes beguiling, funny, often frustratingly short, stories. Regular "This American Life" fans will have heard him weave a tale or two and will probably have been left wanting more every time. Although most of his short stories could technically be classified as absurdism or fantasy, Keret uses absurd situations to explore the parts of the human condition that are not that frequently explored. They remind you how exciting it is to think about such things, and make you wonder why you don't more often. Of course, some of them more than others, as is always the case with short story collections. And some of them really are too short! But they'll leave you eager for another collection.

What did you like best about this story?

I like that Keret never hits you over the head with the morals to his peculiar fables. He invites and encourages the reader to think, and interpret, and work a little! And his special seriocomic take on the world recognizes the humor that really does run through even the darker, lonelier crevices of the human condition.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I think that Keret knows that the human voice really breathes the greatest life into his stories. Of course I could just be under this impression because I heard a number of his stories on "T.A.L." before I read them. I must say that, although these actors do a fine job (Stanley Tucci is just always a treat in whatever he does), Keret's own delivery of his stories on Ira Glass' show is quite a bit more enjoyable. But the musical interludes between the tales are pleasant; and these actors' changing voices delivering these odd tableaux, and their changing tones, are much more fun than just my own. But if Mr. Keret would please not be embarrassed about his wonderful, nicely sleepy Israeli accent, and record his next Audible collection himself, I will not miss the famous narrators. Also, this is a perfect selection for an evening walk in crisp air.

Creative, thoughtful, surprising.

These stories were all very different. The narrators are superb. All of the stories made me stretch my thinking (in a good way). I feel very exercised!

great interview on BOOKWORM (KCRW) BOOKWORM

Where does Suddenly, a Knock on the Door rank among all the audiobooks you???ve listened to so far?

BOOKWORM INTERVIEW GAVE USEFUL CONTEXT FOR THE STORIES

What did you like best about this story?

THE READERS WERE GREAT

Which character ??? as performed by the narrators ??? was your favorite?

GOOD READ ALONG-SIDE FRANZEN'S FARTHER AWAY ESSAYS & NATHAN ENGANDER'S WHAT WE TALK ABOUT......ESSAY'S

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

FORGET IT

Any additional comments?

NO

bizzare, ironic, and excellent

What made the experience of listening to Suddenly, a Knock on the Door the most enjoyable?

loved the short stories and all the different narrators

What was one of the most memorable moments of Suddenly, a Knock on the Door?

the irony of the stories

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

ira glass, jonothan safran foer

If you could take any character from Suddenly, a Knock on the Door out to dinner, who would it be and why?

the author

Any additional comments?

excellent, check it out if you are looking for something different

Spices of imagination behind the door...

If you could sum up Suddenly, a Knock on the Door in three words, what would they be?

Imagination, idealistic, wonderland.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Suddenly, a Knock on the Door?

I was really surprised by the Ari story. I loved the details and the crazy turn that the story took. Really Really loved it!

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I loved the different variations of tones and the accents that each narrator brought to each story. It was easier to imagine with the different voices.

Who was the most memorable character of Suddenly, a Knock on the Door and why?

I would say the characters of Ziki and Urgon. People are always battling inside with the person of who they would like to be versus who they actually are. This story artistically shows the difference between the personalities and how a person can try to hide it, but someone will be there to unveil it at one point in your life.

Any additional comments?

Really great book! Loved that the stories were so imaginative and challenged me to think about how things end and how we portray ourselves to others.

Mixed bag

Would you try another book from the authors and/or the narrators?

I have read previous books by Etgar Keret and liked them very much, but this book does not work well as an audiobook -- the stories are too dense and confusing without referring back to certain passages.

listen to again and again

Difficult to explain as each story is different. so very different from each other and from others. But all leave you thinking, and the ability to listen to this book again and again, all while never losing its momentum, makes it a great read (listen) every time.