The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God & Other Stories by Etgar Keret

Review

Some books entertain us, some make us think, and a few make us see ordinary life a little differently. The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God, a short-story collection by Israeli writer Etgar Keret, falls into the third category. Keret has a distinctive storytelling style. He weaves unexpected situations, dark humor, and a profound understanding of human nature, turning everyday incidents into memorable literary experiences.

The title story “The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God” is one of the most memorable pieces in the collection. It introduces a bus driver who wanted to be a God, or at least a bus driver. He could not be a God. So he became a bus driver. As a bus driver, he never opened the bus doors for late passengers.  He followed a simple arithmetic calculation. Allowing one late passenger onto the bus takes thirty seconds. If sixty passengers are delayed by thirty seconds, they steal a collective half hour from society.

In this story, Eddie was perpetually late. He suffered from a medical condition that made him oversleep by ten minutes. Alarm clocks did not work for him.

One day, he desperately needed to catch the bus to meet a wonderful girl at the Dolphinarium. Eddie missed the bus and chased it until a red traffic light brought it to a halt. Exhausted, he began wheezing. He knelt on the asphalt outside the bus driver’s door, his eyes moist, but he could not muster the strength to knock.

At that moment, the driver remembers he once promised himself that if he became God, he would be merciful, kind, and listen to his creatures. So he abandons his ideology and arithmetic and opens the door for Eddie.

But poor Eddie! The girl never shows up because she already has a boyfriend. After waiting for two hours, heartbroken and desperate to get home before his muscle cramps overpower him, Eddie struggles towards the bus stop, which is far away. He knows he cannot make it, yet he drags himself forward slowly and painfully. To his utter surprise, the bus is waiting for him, even as all the passengers protest against the delay.

The ending is truly wonderful. The bus driver ultimately becomes a God—not through power or authority, but through mercy and kindness.

The ending is particularly touching. The bus driver waits for Eddie and gives him a sad wink. It is a small gesture, but it carries the emotional weight of the story. The wink suggests an unspoken understanding between them. The driver has not abandoned his sense of order, but he has discovered something that his mathematical philosophy could not teach him: fairness without compassion can become cruelty. So finally, the bus driver can be God in his kindness and mercy.

Keret does not force the lesson upon his readers. He allows  his characters to speak for themselves. This restraint is one of the story’s strengths. Its emotional impact comes not from exaggerated sentiment but from the simplicity of an ordinary human interaction.

This is where Keret’s storytelling feels unique. He takes a simple everyday situation and turns it into a reflection on justice, compassion, and the limitations of rigid principles. Sometimes, when we read a collection of short stories, we find one or two that are very interesting, while others are not up to the mark. In this collection, however, each story feels like a gem, offering something worth remembering. Keret shows that a story doesn’t need an elaborate plot or dramatic setting to touch the reader. Sometimes, an ordinary person making an unexpected choice is enough.

About the Author:

Etgar Keret is an Israeli writer known for his short stories, novels, screenplays, and distinctive blend of absurdity, dark humor, and emotional insight. His fiction frequently explores the strange, unpredictable, and deeply human aspects of everyday life. His remarkable works include: The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God & Other Stories, The Girl On The Fridge, Missing Kissinger, Suddenly, a Knock on the Door, Autocorrect, Fly Already, Four Stories, etc.

Finnal Thought:

Perhaps we do not need to be God to make the world a little kinder. Sometimes, all we need to do is wait for someone who is running behind us.

Buy the Book: The Bus Driver Who Wanted to be God and Other Stories