With the ironic portrait of the self-tormented intellectual Fima, Amos Oz has not only succeeded in diagnosing contemporary Israeli society but also in creating an extremely humorous and affectionate portrayal of individual Israelis who confront questions of life and death on a daily basis. Here, the hopes and fears of the Israelis are depicted with great precision: Jerusalem appears completely decayed, nothing works, every second person is half a prophet and half a prime minister— in short, a madhouse.