Optioned for a movie, Three Floors Up by Israeli author Eshkol Nevo is a triptych of pithy interconnected stories, all as compelling as they are insightful. Framed in Freudian psychology, set in the environs of Tel Aviv, each story explores three levels of human behavior. Written in unembroidered prose, three narrators recount a personal dilemma which reflects Israeli society at large.
Arnon and Ayelet, a young married couple, live on the first floor with two adorable young daughters. Arnon confesses to his army buddy an incident so bizarre” it makes me want to die.” It’s about pensioners, Ruth and Herman “the refined couple across the hall, who volunteered to babysit Ofri” when her sister Yaeli was treated for respiratory ailments. A source of delight for Herman and Ruth, whose grandkids did not live in Israel, Ofri adored Herman and screamed with glee when he would bounce her on his lap and shower her with kisses.
One day Ofri announced, “Herman is broken.” Sadly, Ruth confirmed that Herman was suffering from dementia. From heron in Ofri was not permitted to be alone with Herman. The exception being an emergency when Arnon was ten minutes late to pick up “daddy’s princess.” Neither Herman nor Ofri were in the apartment. Arnon found them “three minutes away in a citrus grove.” Herman’s head was resting on Ofri’s thigh. He was wailing “I’m sorry.” Exploding with rage, confusion and panic, Arnon’s “biological instinct” immediately signaled “something sexual transpired” and demanded vengeance for Herman’s monstrous deed. Was Herman a predator?
Hani, her daughter Lyri and Nimrod, her son occupy a residence on the second floor. Nicknamed “the widow” Hani’s husband, Assaf is almost always away on business. Hani writes to her best friend in America about her “aloneness,” and her dread of an owl that inexplicably appears outside her window. When Assaf’s brother, Eviatar, a felon, long estranged from the family arrives at Hani’s door begging for “a safe place to hide,” Hani mediates the risks and invites Eviatar to remain. Upon Assaf’s return, next day, curiously, neither of the children mention their Uncle Eviatar’s overnight visit. More bizarre is the appearance of two more owls outside Hani’s window. Is Hani losing her grip on reality? Author Nevo entreats the reader to determine.
Devora, a retired judge, inhabits an apartment on the third floor. Sorting out her recently diseased husband’s belongings, she finds his old telephone answering machine. Acknowledging “it’s ridiculous,” Devora speaks to Michael as if he were alive. A former judge, Michael laid down a stern edict threatening to leave the marriage unless both terminated every contact with Adar, their only son, who was indicted on charges of manslaughter. Can Devora overcome Michael’s debilitating control to reconnect with her lost son? Does Adar want to see his mother?
An id, ego and superego kind-of-book for shrinks and those who love them, it’s entertaining and insightful.
