3 out of 4 stars
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“The past is that story that never stops changing.”
Mois Benarroch’s Raquel Says (Something Entirely Unexpected) begins with those intriguing words. The logical mind reacts and says, “How can that be so?” But these words appropriately usher us into the world of Mois Benarroch where “all realities are illusions.”
Mois Benarroch is described as one of the most enigmatic writers in today’s world literature. A descendant of the Sephardim, he lives in Jerusalem and is a poet and writer who alternately writes in English, Spanish, and Hebrew. Raquel Says (Something Entirely Unexpected) was translated into English by Sally Seward.
The book, classified as other fiction, centers on the story of Moshe and Raquel, both writers who, at 40, suddenly find ennui in their lives and want to die, to not exist, to stop writing. Both are married but are searching for love, true love.
Then, by some twist of fate, they find each other and become lovers, not physically, but through words exchanged via emails and phone calls. They impatiently await their everyday conversations and both begin to live fulfilled lives. It turns out that they were both born in Morocco, were in fact classmates in their youth, and their mothers were close friends. In their daily exchanges, they recall their shared memories, discuss their careers, and help write each other’s books. These daily chats happen while the lovers are many miles apart, with her in Madrid and him in Israel.
The book constantly hammers the reader with the power of words. Wasn’t the world created with Elohim’s word? The relationship of Moshe and Raquel is created through words, as well. It is a love not dependent on physical touch but is, nonetheless, experienced totally. They complete each other; they are two islands that become one. A wonderful quote that describes the love shared by Moshe and Raquel follows: “We were children in paradise, adolescents in tunnels, adults in strange walls, and today we are the memory of each other.”
Will the lovers, seemingly soul mates, finally meet and finally touch?
The book is a thought-provoking read. It is one that you cannot breeze through but one that needs to be savored, morsel by precious morsel. The words are mesmerizing, limning the speaker’s most intimate thoughts vividly. You can almost picture the scenes and feel Moshe or Raquel live and breathe. Both characters do regular self-analysis, linking their past, present, and future together.
Mois Benarroch is a different kind of writer. His work is heavily influenced by celebrated authors who are named throughout the book: Jack Kerouac, Franz Kafka, Jorge Luis Borges, Edmond Jabes, and Charles Bukowski. Like these writers of profound and prominent works, mostly poets like him, he believes in writing spontaneous prose that makes his sentences long and winding. Such a style may not be popular with the amateur reader nor would it appeal to one whose main purpose for reading is entertainment or relaxation.
Scholars of literature and philosophy will have a field day parsing the book and students of psychology will find Moshe and Raquel engaging subjects. Hopeless romantics will enjoy the many memorable lines like “You’re everything I imagined. Everything and much more.” History buffs will relish Moshe’s narration of his travails as a Sephardi (which are strikingly similar to Mois Benarroch’s own experiences of rejection.)
I give the book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. I love the poetry in the words, and the humor that lies beneath them, plus the idea of two people who completely understand each other. However, the spontaneity of the sentences, with the author injecting many random thoughts, and the presence of some editing issues (mainly inappropriate line breaks) made reading difficult. I also long for a book that would give me respite from my worldly cares.
As a final comment, I do agree with the author regarding the power of words.
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Raquel Says (Something Entirely Unexpected)
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