Review of Man Mission
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Kabeer Ahmed
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Review of Man Mission
[Following is a volunteer review of "Man Mission" by Eytan Uliel.]
Man Mission is a part travel narrative and a part roman a clef, written by Eytan Uliel. Four best friends, each year, go hiking, trekking, ice climbing, sometimes hitchhiking, cycling, biking, mountain biking, stand-up paddle boarding, white-water sledding, river kayaking, sea kayaking, ocean kayaking, catamaran surfing, and aurora hunting in Thailand, South Africa, Hawaii, South Korea, Fiji, New Zealand, Peru, Japan, Spain, Australia, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Iceland. Along with their yearly Man Mission, they do the stuff an upright man is supposed to do. They get married, have families, build careers, and face the daily burdens of life and their emotional journey.
It all started when the narrator and his best friend, Sam, used to talk about a yearly getaway from life into the wild challenges of the world in the form of cycling, hiking, and kayaking. Thus, during practical life rituals, one day, Sam calls the narrator and tells him to go on the trip. Although he hesitated, they both finally considered it. So, the Man Mission was born. They went off hiking on Harper's Pass on the South Island of New Zealand. During their travel, one morning, the narrator slipped on a loose stone and twisted his knee. The injury worsened even more as they tramped over the rough dirt trail. While wading across a stream with a strong current, he fell again under the stream, and his knee hurt worse than ever. On the fifth day, they found three people with guns, kilo bricks of drugs, and a truck. Unwillingly, the narrator had to use their help to reach the hospital while Sam continued on the trail. At the hospital, the narrator learned that he had sustained a torn knee ligament. Later, his toenails also fell off from hiking in wet boots for five days.
Daniel, the Organizer, joined these two fat bellies on the third Man Mission, while Alec, the Super Alpha Man and the dung beetle of the Man Mission Committee, joined them on the fourth Man Mission. Part 1: "Beginning" includes Man Mission I to V. Part 2: "Middle" mostly encounters the marital issues of the narrator, and part 3: "End" takes the narrator's life into the boundaries of happiness. During this epic journey, they formed Man Mission Committee, Wives Committee, Man Mission Charter, and yearly Man Mission traditions such as eating strange dishes served at local restaurants, sumo wrestling in a few Man Missions, and more.
I liked almost everything about the book. The minor details about every scenery got me as if I were traveling side by side with the narrator. The issues discussed in the book were worth reading. I most obviously loved the fourteenth Man Mission. The Vital Statistics at the end of every Man Mission include new unknown details in the chapter. The quotes and the map hint at the story of every upcoming Man Mission. I loved the idea of the Pink Bracelet. The Men's Group in the MM XIV was another idea that I loved. Conversations with some wise people during his journey were also worth noting down.
The most hated thing about this book is that it does not clarify whether the narrator is Eytan, the author, or an imaginary character. The epilogue at the end still confuses us with this idea. I had to research for an opinion but did not find any clear answer. The publisher says that the story and characters are imaginary or fictitious. However, in many other reviews, I read that the narrator and the main character are Eytan himself. There is no hint for that in the book other than the first few pages, epilogue, or the back cover. This book contains non-borderline profanities, sexual scenes, nudity, and minor acts of violence, such as killing a goose or a rabbit.
I am not angry over any idea other than the narrator's identification. The story is the best one I have read in my entire life. The "Epilogue: Home" was satisfying. I did not find any grammatical but a few ignorable punctuational mistakes. So, it is safe to say that this book was exceptionally well-edited. Thus, I conclude that this book deserves a 3 out of 4 stars for its fantastic story.
The book studies in-depth marital issues, which holds some good pieces of advice for anyone who is married and is experiencing any such problems. So, I recommend this book to them and to those who love to read travel memoirs. Also, mature teens would be a fantastic audience for this book. So, I invite them to read this book as well.
******
Man Mission
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Man Mission is a part travel narrative and a part roman a clef, written by Eytan Uliel. Four best friends, each year, go hiking, trekking, ice climbing, sometimes hitchhiking, cycling, biking, mountain biking, stand-up paddle boarding, white-water sledding, river kayaking, sea kayaking, ocean kayaking, catamaran surfing, and aurora hunting in Thailand, South Africa, Hawaii, South Korea, Fiji, New Zealand, Peru, Japan, Spain, Australia, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Iceland. Along with their yearly Man Mission, they do the stuff an upright man is supposed to do. They get married, have families, build careers, and face the daily burdens of life and their emotional journey.
It all started when the narrator and his best friend, Sam, used to talk about a yearly getaway from life into the wild challenges of the world in the form of cycling, hiking, and kayaking. Thus, during practical life rituals, one day, Sam calls the narrator and tells him to go on the trip. Although he hesitated, they both finally considered it. So, the Man Mission was born. They went off hiking on Harper's Pass on the South Island of New Zealand. During their travel, one morning, the narrator slipped on a loose stone and twisted his knee. The injury worsened even more as they tramped over the rough dirt trail. While wading across a stream with a strong current, he fell again under the stream, and his knee hurt worse than ever. On the fifth day, they found three people with guns, kilo bricks of drugs, and a truck. Unwillingly, the narrator had to use their help to reach the hospital while Sam continued on the trail. At the hospital, the narrator learned that he had sustained a torn knee ligament. Later, his toenails also fell off from hiking in wet boots for five days.
Daniel, the Organizer, joined these two fat bellies on the third Man Mission, while Alec, the Super Alpha Man and the dung beetle of the Man Mission Committee, joined them on the fourth Man Mission. Part 1: "Beginning" includes Man Mission I to V. Part 2: "Middle" mostly encounters the marital issues of the narrator, and part 3: "End" takes the narrator's life into the boundaries of happiness. During this epic journey, they formed Man Mission Committee, Wives Committee, Man Mission Charter, and yearly Man Mission traditions such as eating strange dishes served at local restaurants, sumo wrestling in a few Man Missions, and more.
I liked almost everything about the book. The minor details about every scenery got me as if I were traveling side by side with the narrator. The issues discussed in the book were worth reading. I most obviously loved the fourteenth Man Mission. The Vital Statistics at the end of every Man Mission include new unknown details in the chapter. The quotes and the map hint at the story of every upcoming Man Mission. I loved the idea of the Pink Bracelet. The Men's Group in the MM XIV was another idea that I loved. Conversations with some wise people during his journey were also worth noting down.
The most hated thing about this book is that it does not clarify whether the narrator is Eytan, the author, or an imaginary character. The epilogue at the end still confuses us with this idea. I had to research for an opinion but did not find any clear answer. The publisher says that the story and characters are imaginary or fictitious. However, in many other reviews, I read that the narrator and the main character are Eytan himself. There is no hint for that in the book other than the first few pages, epilogue, or the back cover. This book contains non-borderline profanities, sexual scenes, nudity, and minor acts of violence, such as killing a goose or a rabbit.
I am not angry over any idea other than the narrator's identification. The story is the best one I have read in my entire life. The "Epilogue: Home" was satisfying. I did not find any grammatical but a few ignorable punctuational mistakes. So, it is safe to say that this book was exceptionally well-edited. Thus, I conclude that this book deserves a 3 out of 4 stars for its fantastic story.
The book studies in-depth marital issues, which holds some good pieces of advice for anyone who is married and is experiencing any such problems. So, I recommend this book to them and to those who love to read travel memoirs. Also, mature teens would be a fantastic audience for this book. So, I invite them to read this book as well.
******
Man Mission
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: Trusting God Beyond Limits by Juliana Gardiner
