Missing Kissinger

This story is about a man that is trying to prove to his partner that he loves her, which she denies. She tells him to show her that she loves him, but won’t tell him what to do, and he is at a loss. Finally he arrives at the conclusion that he needs to bring her his mother’s heart. His mother, in turn, wants his partner’s heart.

I do personally connect with this story because at its basis it’s about trying to please several different people at once, at the expense of every relationship, something I think most adolescents know something about. It’s not exactly a hard read, but I wouldn’t recommend it just because I think the message is a little too simplistic for the idea behind it, and I am not a fan of short stories in general unless they are very open to interpretation. The story only shows two factors as contributing to the conflict, when in reality the situation is much more complex.

I think Keret is trying to show the complexities of Israeli international policy, specifically between the Arab nations and the US. There’s a code of a four-foot knife in the story, which I think is a symbol of the physical actions and intelligence help that Israel provides, mostly for America. On one hand, the man is desperately trying to assuage the fears of his partner, and is willing to cut the heart out of his mother for some level of personal security, but on the other hand, it is his mother, who has a similar role in his life and requires the same things as his partner. In Israeli politics this comes up in the pull from both Arab countries and the US. Israel relies hugely on foreign aid from America, and as a result has to align itself, but at the same time, wants to create peace in the home, which would require realigning against the US. The title “Missing Kissinger”, referring to Henry Kissinger, who served as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State under Nixon and Ford, further points to this conclusion. Israel, like the man, finds itself between a rock and a hard place. This can be considered Israeli literature because it describes the Israeli attitude of impatience and general discontent with the situation. People are tired of having to pander to benefactors while trying at the same time to mitigate disaster with local nations.

-Noah Arnold