Scenes from village life

 by Amos Oz. Loosely connected stories from renowned author Oz (A Tale of Love and Darkness, 2004) take place in the Israeli village of Tel Ilan, which is shifting from a tight-knit, rustic farming community to one of art galleries and boutique markets. This disquieting transformation and general unease underlie this thought-provoking collection, in which the mayor's wife suddenly leaves him, a stranger mysteriously arrives, and a real-estate agent becomes entranced by a dilapidated property. The memorable Digging finds the elderly Pesach living with his widowed daughter, Rachel. The cantankerous Pesach nags Rachel about unexplained digging noises at night, a complaint she disregards until the Arab student she is housing also mentions similar sounds. In Relations, a doctor anxiously awaits the arrival of her injured nephew as she reflects on their complicated relationship. With the haunting Singing, an evening of communal singing is punctuated with news of air raids, leaving one participant unable to shake an unexplained feeling of urgency. Filled with tension and allegory, Oz's perceptive tales explore the nuance and alienation of transitioning states. --Booklist (Check Catalog)