2 out of 4 stars
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It was extremely hard to read this book, nevertheless, review it. In one word, Gates to Tangier may be said as, simply, weird. I regret to say this, but that’s the best word I could find to describe it, other than peculiar. The beginning was rather gripping, with a climax from the start, but the flow was rather shaky. I think I understand the author’s idea of writing a suspense-filled story, but I’m sorry to say that it’s not up to the mark.
Gates to Tangier begins with a family comprising a mother, Estrella and her four children, just learning about the instructions of her husband’s (her children’s father’s) last will. The family is indignant to find that Papá, as they fondly remember him, has an illegitimate son with one of their former governesses, Fátima Elbaz, who is thought to be living in Morocco. To be able to access the contents of the will of their father, the children must find, or at the very least, attempt to find their illegitimate half brother.
Thus begins the journey of the four children, Messod, David, Israel and Silvia, unwillingly searching for their half-brother. Their father’s money, a measly amount compared to the wealth of their rich ancestors, would be inaccessible for five years. Their lawyer tells them to do everything in their power to search for this unknown boy.
Next comes the confusing part. The reader can easily tell that all the children are travelling together, yet their stories are told as separate sub-chapters in the main chapters. I found this unnecessary, for each story is not very different in terms of point of view, except for the fact that each character talks about his/her own family. It seemed to me related to the story of ‘the six blind men and the elephant’ wherein all the blind men do not collect each individual idea to form the big picture. At some point of time, each child remembers his/her deceased brother (another Israel), whom they lost as a martyr to the Lebanese war. They wonder if their half-brother could be a substitute for the lost one.
Another confusing portion was insertions of a page between each chapter, which contained some dialogue. It carried no names and so I couldn’t figure out between whom the conversation was being carried out. On a positive note, the book was very informative about the Jewish culture and I learned a lot. The ending was sufficiently flabbergasting, but there is a huge scope for improvement. I believe the flow could have been much better.
It is with a heavy heart that I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. I hope the author takes my criticism stoically to improve this book. With the necessary changes regarding the flow, I’m sure it’ll be an excellent suspense story in the making.
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Gates to Tangier
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