4 out of 4 stars
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Mois Benarroch's Andalusian in Jerusalem recounts the story of a Spanish writer's adventures in Israel, all the while, pretending to be a Jew and having made a career of writing about Jewish history.
Stylistically, the book is superb, the vivid descriptions and sparse, literal inner monologue of the main character contrasting wonderfully with the absurd and often nightmarish events which take place. The stony acceptance with which these events are met highlights the absurdity of human interactions and the chaotic, meaningless nature of the world, mirroring Kafka - one of the main character's literary inspirations - thematically as well as stylistically.
A related theme of the book is the disparity between appearance and reality. This idea is emphasised throughout the book, set in a city where streets cease to exist for hours or months at a time, characters age decades in the space of minutes and the main character assumes both a fictional identity and a fictional family. One interpretation is that the nature of reality is not fixed or determined and can be changed at will, seen when Guillermo assumes, without evidence, that a certain house exists only at night and is proved to be correct. The notion of a reality determined solely by our actions and interpretations perfectly mirrors Sartre's radical freedom.
Similarly, the theme of personal identity is also key to the book, with the main character adopting a Jewish identity and then another persona entirely, as well as others struggling with personal identity in the face of societal pressures to conform, such as Charly and his characters. This idea is expanded in Charly's manuscript, detailing the stories of forced conversions as well as the search for personal identity in an antagonistic society. One of the important idea which arises is whether identity can be found in the past, through one's cultural heritage and ancestry, or in our present lives and through future children. Perhaps the endless returning to the legacy of the dead is an attempt to find meaning in an otherwise meaningless world, indifferent to human purposes. Another interpretation is that the cultivation of the past into an identity is an attempt to reconcile pain, particularly prominent in the tales of religious persecution described in the story.
A final point of interest is the commentary of characters, who are writers, on the nature of a writer's duty. This is a profound discussion, offering the perspective that writing is of such importance that it should take precedence over all other pursuits, Charly telling Guillermo that being a writer is more important than an editor and that 'true' writers are hard to come by. In this mindset, literature is valuable because it provides some connection to knowledge and truth, which is regarded as inherently valuable.
In conclusion, this book is exceptionally well-written, a thrilling adventure and insight into a great mind, recommended to anyone interested in Spanish or Jewish culture, writing as profession or existentialist themes. It makes for an extremely sophisticated and at times surreal read, echoing the literary styles of Franz Kafka, as well as exploring some of his favoured themes, engaging and exceptional in parts and thus deserving of a rating of 4 out of 4 stars.
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Andalusian in Jerusalem
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