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Fimi is een twijfelaar, steeds vol goede voornemens waar niets van terecht komt. Het liefst is hij in "de derde toestand", een soort licht, ook van binnen, tussen slapen en waken in. Hij weet precies hoe het met de politiek in Israël moet en hoe er vrede kan komen met de Arabieren, schrijft ingezonden brieven en debatteert tot diep in de nacht met zijn vrienden. Het blijft bij woorden. Hij komt er zelfs niet toe om zijn flat enigszins netjes te houden. Zijn vader stopt hem vaak wat geld toe en die onverwachte briefjes in zijn zak behoeden hem er dikwijls voor dat hij boodschappen, bus of eten niet kan betalen. Aan het eind van het boek overlijdt zijn vader. Fimi erft bijna alles van hem, ook de cosmeticafabriek. Als het boek uit is blijf je achter met het gevoel van "hoe moet het met die erfenis, de fabriek, het huis, etc., als Fimi dat allemaal moet beheren...".

Fima seems to symbolize everything in life that is irritating - he is like a wasp, busily and pointlessly moving about one's plate on a summer day, seemingly uninterested in the food on it, but reluctant to fly away. Everyone around Fima seems to feel this and they generally want to get rid of his company, but they also give in to his constant chatter which seems to hypnotise them after a while. They even start worrying about him and his ways. The reading was rather slow, because I strongly disliked the Fima character, and because of the constant detailed reference to political goings on in Israel. The latter was difficult to follow at times. At the same time there was something about the writing I enjoyed, so I kept going. I do not know whether I am altogether happy with my decision.
Quote:
"The Cheerokees have a law that you mustn't throw anything away. Even a broken pot they kept in a wigwam. Anything you've ever used you mustn't get rid of. It might still need you." (usitupe cha zamani - Tanzania) ( )

this was a slow read for me, but probably i should have read it even slower. it's a very deliberate book, even when it seems to be rambling. the main character is this man who spouts off about so many things, and talks and talks and talks, boring people but having flashes of brilliance. the book is much the same, except the flashes are more frequent if you're paying attention. it wasn't a fun read, although i did laugh at least a handful of times. it's just a really unusual, interesting book. i very much wonder about his other books, if they're anything like this at all, or if this is just a strange little gem that's kind of hard to get through. also, i think that probably the translation was a great one - as intentional as all the language is in this book, i think the translator had to find something allegorical or somehow equivalent in english, and i don't think that was an easy task. ( )