This is a novel about complex relations between brothers, with basketball themes. Even readers who do not usually lean toward either "boys doing boys' things" or long novels may find themselves absorbed in it. The book avoids the expected sibling-rivalry template, combining deep affection with tensions beneath the surface. It blends smart reflection on questions that concern not only twins with a plot that peels back the past while moving toward the future.
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About the Book
After 14 years in the United States, where he lived in a small shack and wrote one single literary-historical bestseller, Mickey Keshet returns to Israel. With his tail between his legs. His monumental book was canceled under allegations of cultural appropriation.
Keshet returns to the wide-open arms of his twin brother, Yoav. Both are forty-one. Mickey is short, lonely, and disconnected from his roots because he tore them out. Yoav is very tall, over two meters, handsome and loved by family and friends, married and a father. In their youth, everyone assumed Yoav would become the first Israeli player in the NBA.
It did not happen. Mickey feels guilty and, as will be revealed, with good reason. He decides to forcefully turn back the clock, return to his roots as "Yoav's brother," and set his twin's life back on what he sees as the right track.
Is a brother allowed to impose a "better" reality on his brother? In the name of childhood dreams? What is the price of fulfilling dreams when it is already too late? And what happens when the gap between what should have been and what is becomes too wide and too deep?
Reviews
Boaz Gaon crafts an imaginative story that is easy to believe in, and to hold onto the hope that dreams do not have an expiration date. At the same time, he portrays a complex family dynamic in which people can contain contradictions: love and envy, support and sabotage, generosity and competition.
Gaon dives into the twin dynamic through Mickey's story: a former bestseller author who returns from the U.S. in disgrace and discovers his twin Yoav, once destined for greatness, never fulfilled those expectations. Mickey becomes determined to rewrite the family script.
A well-written novel. Mickey, an Israeli writer living in America, is accused of literary theft and forced back to Israel. He decides to pursue an old childhood dream - not his own, but his twin brother Yoav's. Gaon handles the unique and unresolved twin bond in an original and compelling way.
More Books by Boaz Gaon
The Yellow Bus of Jimax. Published by Ha-Kibbutz Hameuchad.
Order here
Where America Ends. Published by Am Oved.
Order here
Eliyahu Seeks Love. Published by Kinneret Zmora Bitan.
Order hereAbout the "Yoav! Yoav!" Events
A literary-musical event about childhood dreams, and the pain and pleasure of not wanting to leave them as dreams.
Since the book was published in October 2025, author Boaz Gaon and his cousin Izzy Gaon have been appearing together in a unique literary-musical event about the most complex, loaded, and universal relationship: siblings.
In the event, Boaz tells the story behind "Yoav! Yoav!" and its protagonist - a twin who vows to help his brother fulfill childhood dreams before it is too late. Izzy performs songs from his unique album "Late Ignition", about love and jealousy, time and competition. The performance lasts about an hour and is especially suitable for municipal halls, public libraries, cafes, bars, and private homes.
Interested in booking a literary-musical event about siblings, time and love?
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