In a novel that's fresh, crisp, and entertaining, Kenaz brings his readers into a rather dark mosaic of contemporary Israeli life. Describing a number of residents in a Tel Aviv apartment complex, the author delves deeply into the psyches of such
diverse individuals as an invalid who has been left in the care of an immigrant maid and is unable to clearly verbalize his thoughts, a couple distressed at discovering that their soldier son is being sought for going AWOL from the army, and a "kept woman" who debates the pros and cons of staying in her secret love relationship. There are five separate stories which,
although each can stand on its own strength, are interwoven to produce a "neighborhood" of connected stories. It's like nosing into neighbors' lives and suddenly finding out too much. Often people are much more complex than they seem and their relationships to other people are not apparent in their their outward actions. These are stories that work well together and provide an entertaining and absorbing read through to the very last page.