Review by Vg345 -- Gates to Tangier by Mois Benarroch
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Vg345
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Review by Vg345 -- Gates to Tangier by Mois Benarroch
[Following is a volunteer review of "Gates to Tangier" by Mois Benarroch.]
2 out of 4 stars
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Gates of Tangier is a piece of historical fiction by Mois Benarroch that follows the tale of a Jewish family. It’s the first book of the Tetouan trilogy. The Benzimra siblings journey to Morocco to look for their illegitimate brother whose existence they knew nothing about until very recently. Their father passed away, leaving his belongings and inheritance to his children on one condition. The only way for the siblings to access their inheritance is if they find their brother.
With a reluctance that only selfish, spoiled, proud and self-entitled middle-aged people can manage, they agree to the terms of the will and return to their hometown after a significant stretch of time. Part of their reluctance to meet this mysterious sibling stems from the fact that their brother, Israel, died in a war in Lebanon and they miss him a lot. They hide the fractures in their lives behind the facade of perfection which the author explores quite a lot in the book.
Gates of Tangier had an interesting narration style. The story was mostly told as internal ramblings of the multiple protagonists. It’s often confusing, broken and repetitive, which annoyed me a lot. The chapter title was often the only indication as to who the narrator was. The chapters were separated by a string of dialogues, which was halfway between a conversation and a poem; a method that produced a grotesque intermediary that did justice to neither.
If you’re interested in or aware of the historical workings of a typical Jewish society, this book might be a lot easier to relate to. I wouldn’t suggest this book to a casual reader. It’s confusing, irritating, occasionally boring, and if you had the paperback, you might be tempted to throw it across the room. But if historical fiction, Jewish culture or long-lost family members are a part of your area of interest, this is a short and interesting read.
I give this book 2 out of 4 stars. I’d heard great things about it, and I’ve had amazing experiences with historical fiction before, but this book failed to get me on the protagonists’ side. I felt them to be immature, vaguely resentful and selfish. I’m really not interested in being lectured about Jewish lives in Morocco in a broken narrative without sequence by multiple jumbled speakers. If that’s your thing, give this book a go. I’d always wondered why the readers couldn’t get a clear, uncensored look into what goes on in the protagonist’s head and now I know. Ramblings are boring and mostly unintelligible to read.
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Gates to Tangier
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2 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Gates of Tangier is a piece of historical fiction by Mois Benarroch that follows the tale of a Jewish family. It’s the first book of the Tetouan trilogy. The Benzimra siblings journey to Morocco to look for their illegitimate brother whose existence they knew nothing about until very recently. Their father passed away, leaving his belongings and inheritance to his children on one condition. The only way for the siblings to access their inheritance is if they find their brother.
With a reluctance that only selfish, spoiled, proud and self-entitled middle-aged people can manage, they agree to the terms of the will and return to their hometown after a significant stretch of time. Part of their reluctance to meet this mysterious sibling stems from the fact that their brother, Israel, died in a war in Lebanon and they miss him a lot. They hide the fractures in their lives behind the facade of perfection which the author explores quite a lot in the book.
Gates of Tangier had an interesting narration style. The story was mostly told as internal ramblings of the multiple protagonists. It’s often confusing, broken and repetitive, which annoyed me a lot. The chapter title was often the only indication as to who the narrator was. The chapters were separated by a string of dialogues, which was halfway between a conversation and a poem; a method that produced a grotesque intermediary that did justice to neither.
If you’re interested in or aware of the historical workings of a typical Jewish society, this book might be a lot easier to relate to. I wouldn’t suggest this book to a casual reader. It’s confusing, irritating, occasionally boring, and if you had the paperback, you might be tempted to throw it across the room. But if historical fiction, Jewish culture or long-lost family members are a part of your area of interest, this is a short and interesting read.
I give this book 2 out of 4 stars. I’d heard great things about it, and I’ve had amazing experiences with historical fiction before, but this book failed to get me on the protagonists’ side. I felt them to be immature, vaguely resentful and selfish. I’m really not interested in being lectured about Jewish lives in Morocco in a broken narrative without sequence by multiple jumbled speakers. If that’s your thing, give this book a go. I’d always wondered why the readers couldn’t get a clear, uncensored look into what goes on in the protagonist’s head and now I know. Ramblings are boring and mostly unintelligible to read.
******
Gates to Tangier
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Like Vg345's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: Heartaches 2 by H.M. Irwing
