Uncle Rick had come to Israel to find his past
Size: 7 KB (1,292 words)
Genre: Fiction
Sex Contents: No Sex
Tags: Fiction, Historical, Humor
Review by Marius-6 [other reviews by Marius-6]
Reviewed:
I recommend that Everyone Read this story!
The story is well written. I found it engaging. Kink Bundy's writing managed to immerse me in Jerusalem in just a few sentences and paragraphs. The main character and his two family members came alive; Cousin Tony in just parts of two paragraphs. Uncle Rick is depicted as "quite a character" and like or dislike, is the sort of person it is almost impossible to fail to notice; you'll likely remember him for some time.
Humor is a vital aspect of this story. Several times I chuckled as I read about the traffic and Uncle Rick's driving; both death defying. About Uncle Rick constantly getting into arguments, even when he didn't speak the language of some of the people he was arguing with! Uncle Rick also managed to provoke people he had never met!
Provoking family members, and complete strangers. YELLING as his typical form of communication. These would not seem to be ways of creating a "likable" character. Yet, this author managed to get me to care for an obnoxious, argumentative, atheist secular Jew. I would bet the author and I have significantly different perspectives of Faith and God. None-the-less, I found this fictional story compelling, believable, and it caused me to contemplate Life and the world.
Several times in my life I have lived as the "Token Goy" (Yiddish: Goyim = Gentile or non-Jew) in predominantly Jewish neighborhoods; in high school, part of my time in college, and when I first got out of the army. Believe me, I Stood Out. I was at times subject to discrimination. I also became friends with observant, as well as secular Jews. I am a member of our local Holocaust Museum, and I have been part of a volunteer security force protecting Jewish cemeteries.
I have met Survivors of the Holocaust, the first several were on my newspaper route when I was a young teen. Two "old men" neighbors who often worked in their gardens when I delivered. I noticed they had "tattoos" and could not help staring. Of course, they noticed. I told them I had seen pictures in books I read. They told me sanitized, yet still horrifying tales. They believed in "Never Forget" and I was willing to listen; decades later I have not forgotten.
Perhaps I have reasons that this story has a significant impact upon me. However, I believe that anyone who reads this story will benefit from having read it.
Before posting I removed some comments that would have been spoilers. I wanted to make comments about what I believe are important parts of the story. Reconsidering, I believe others should read the story instead of getting my perspective of those aspects; I think they will get more out of the story.
Rate: 8 Overall, I give very few "10's" and this story is not quite a "nine" to me. I could understand if some were to rate this story as a ten; it is brief but deep, with a near perfect amount of levity that accentuates the serious nature of several aspects of the story.
Plot: 5 it is simple, but elegant. Brevity may be the soul of wit, however, it is a very short story. Some readers could rate the plot much higher because so much is packed into a very short story.
Technical: 9 mostly because I think tens should be rare. Also, there are a few things that a better writer might have done differently. This story is Better Written than anything I have done, let alone posted.
Appeal: 8 I have witnessed too much death, cruelty, even depravity in real life. Remembering the Holocaust, and contemplating the Evil that some humas will commit upon others, and "if" there is a God, WHY are such things permitted (I have my beliefs) should cause us to think. Levity in this story was just right. Without "highs" it can be difficult to put the lows in perspective. Levity was essential to this story.
I encourage everyone to read this story, and to share it with others.
