Review by Charles mugo -- Keys to Tetouan by Mois Benarroch

[Charles mugo]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Keys to Tetouan" by Mois Benarroch.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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The Jewish exile in Spain ended in 1492 with their expulsion from the country. Some of the expelled jews settled just across the border in morocco at a place called tetouan. some centuries later in 1850, a man named Moises benzimra left tetouan for Brazil in search of a job.

While in brazil he married twenty one local women and had a hundred children. The benzimra tribe was born. Yes, a completely new tribe with their own language. then, the man disappeared never to be seen again. His children moved to different parts of the world In search of better livelihoods, but they always find themselves going back to tetouan. To the land of their father in search of their roots, their history, brides and above all, their identity. Their family history is complicated as no written records exist.

One day a grandson gets a gift. A historical scanner. A modern, advanced computer that projects on a screen the whole History of any given object that is placed on it. With an ancient family key, they can finally watch everything that happened in the family by placing the key on the scanner. Unfortunately the key keeps on disappearing. The young grandson weeps inconsolably when the key is stolen but his father reassures him that it would be found again.

From Spain to tetouan, Brazil to Venezuela, Mois benarroch Carries the reader on a historical journey across the world in the shadows of Fernando benzimra as he searches for his father's elusive past.

I enjoyed reading about Moises benzimra marrying twenty one wife's from non Jewish tribes and still convincing his offsprings that they belonged to Israel and nowhere else before he vanished. Jews are portrayed as being very strict in their religion more so on marriage matters but that doesn't seem to be a problem to Moises benzimra.

I enjoyed reading the book though I was a bit put off by the unnumbered pages and some grammar errors. Some of the errors are. First page. Morocco that is where am at. 2. The allies 1996. You know where am going to. to tetouan.
Chapter 10. I don't to die here.
I arrived to Israel.
The book lacks continuity and it is up to the reader to put the pieces together.

What I liked most about the book is the simplicity with which the author weaves through the day to day lives of the Jewish society. I found the book very informative on matters of Jewish religion and way of life.

I didn't like the author's writing style. Direct speech doesn't seem to tell stories well. I prefer reading reported speech as it makes the writer sound like a natural story teller with no personal bias. Direct speech narrows everything to just one person's point of view.

I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. I couldn't rate it higher than that due to several grammar errors and my dislike for the writing style preferred by the author. Direct speech. A bit of editing is necessary in order to make the book more readable.

People who have a liking for Jewish culture and and religion will love reading this book. Jews have always fascinated a lot of people with their very rich historical presence. If you are one of those people, this book is for you.

Keys to tetouan.

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Keys to Tetouan
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