Publisher's Synopsis
A feel good novel about aging, caregiving and the sandwich generation
#1 Jewish Fiction and #1 Middle Eastern Literature - Mar 2025, Kindle Store On Passover eve, Yoni arrives at his grandfather's home - with his brother-in-law - to pick him up for the family holiday dinner. Soon enough, the two realize that the 90 years old grandfather is missing, along with his Filipino caregiver.The search after the grandfather unfolds the family's present and past dynamics, highlighting their attempts to keep life unchanged. This drama surfaces the challenges of the sandwich generation, caregiving to an aging parent while working and taking care of their own children and grandchildren.
Alongside the Israeli plot, the Filipino caregivers' story takes the readers on a fascinating voyage through a somewhat-transparent community, as they live at the homes of old people and take care of them.
In order to create a realistic caregiver character, the author interviewed 50 Filipino women working as caregivers for the elderly in Tel Aviv. She visited them in their employers' homes and the apartments they share on their days off, gaining deep insights into their lives. Through these conversations, she learned about their experiences navigating a foreign culture and the deep bonds often formed with their elderly employers. She heard their stories of leaving their children behind and becoming long distance mothers.
The novel promises to shed light on the "transparent community" of Filipino caregivers (Overseas Filipino Workers, OFW) living in old people's homes abroad, offering readers a glimpse into a world often unseen.
This is a tale about loneliness and belonging, about old age, caregiving and parenting, about impossible choices and a cross-continent journey for one shared goal.
Tovit Neizer worked as a journalist at Yedioth Ahronoth and holds an MA in English Literature from Tel Aviv University. Have You Seen Grandpa Lately? Is her first novel.
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Readers of the Hebrew version praise:
"A pioneering novel that removes the cloak off the invisible people who fill our boulevards
"A family drama that combines detective story and suspense
"A wonderful book, the plot is thrilling and exciting. The story plays on all the personal strings of every reader and sharpens the fear for our old aged relatives, and the constant conflict between dealing with our everyday routine and the desire to spend quality time with those family members. It is also fascinating to get an in-depth view to the lives of the foreign workers who sacrifice so much for a better future for their family. The book is written in a flowing and enjoyable way, that you can't stop reading. I highly recommend!
"This is an exceptionally great book. It is an engaging story of colorful Israeli family characters. Yet much more important, the work that Tovit Nizer did in telling an accurate story of the population of foreign women workers in Tel Aviv makes this novel a 'must read.' The story interweaves beautifully with the Israeli story and yet runs in a parallel world. It is inspiring and a true eye opener.
It reminds us all how your story is preset by the sky you are born under and at the same time questions which one is actually bluer.
