A Horse Walks into a Bar

Standup. After I finished reading David Grossman’s novel titled, A Horse Walks into a Bar, I was as physically drained as I am after a heavy workout at the gym. The structure of the novel covers one night, the bulk of which we observe as protagonist Doveleh Greenstein performs a standup comedy routine for an audience in Netanya. Dov’s shtick is funny at times, but he is not an endearing character, and much of his humor is dark. I might have been one of the audience members to leave the show. Personal reflections on his life get darker as he describes life with a Holocaust survivor mother and a detached father. Grossman won the Man Booker International Prize for this novel. My guess is that the raw, unremitting truth and the efficient writing appealed to the judges who recognized Grossman’s great skill. Get a good rest before reading this novel, because Dov leaves everything on the stage before he ends his standup and being an audience member listening to him can become physically draining. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase A Horse Walks into a Bar from amazon.com.