Publisher's Synopsis
New York 1, Tel Aviv 0 is an extraordinary collection that navigates fluidly questions of sexuality, nationality, and reality, reminiscent of Lydia Davis and Lorrie Moore, but an even deeper exploration of gender norms and sexual politics.
The stories in New York 1, Tel Aviv 0 are full of voices, some unnamed and others identified, that speak to a contemporary generation as they explore the tension between an anonymous, globalized world and an irrepressible lust for personal intimacy. The result is a highly personal document of niche moments, when relationships either run their ground, take flight, or enter holding patterns as intelligently charming as they are emotionally lonely. In some stories, realistic urges take place in magical settings: a couple discovers that they have the ability to stop time together; another couple lives in an apartment where only one can hear a continued beeping and the other must try to believe. In other stories, a nameless voice narrates the arc of a love affair through a list of all its best and worst kisses; a father leaves his daughter in Israel to pursue a painting career in Albany; and a prostitute begins a careful love affair with the Israeli photographer who studies her.
