Review by NetMassimo -- Man Mission by Eytan Uliel

[NetMassimo]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Man Mission" by Eytan Uliel.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Man Mission by Eytan Uliel is a story of a group of friends who decide to get together every year for what they call a Man Mission. It's a trip somewhere in the world where they can put themselves to the test choosing their own rules. Meanwhile, their lives go on, but their families and their jobs seem increasingly in contrast with their Man Missions.

This novel is centered around fifteen trips told in the first person by one of the friends who committed to what they called Man Missions, but it's far more than a travelogue. Those trips are used to develop a lot of introspection in which the narrator tells about his inner journey. For the protagonists, the goal is to be men, but what does that really mean?

Through the narrator, Eytan Uliel describes the Man Missions alternating bits of them with bits of the protagonists' everyday lives with their relationships and their jobs. The events are told out of sequence, and that stresses what quickly becomes a contrast between those parts of their lives.

The Man Missions become slightly repetitive, but there aren't many variations of hiking, biking, and kayaking stories, especially when each story is told in just a few pages. I think that Eytan Uliel did a good job at compensating those repetitions with different settings, different problems, and especially encounters with different types of people. Those encounters offer food for thought because they allow the protagonists to compare their lives with those of people who live in different countries with different cultures.

At the beginning, this novel can seem superficial, with friends being silly during a trip where things don't always go the way they wanted. There are hilarious moments, and the Man Missions are occasions for the protagonists to taunt each other mercilessly. However, under all the silliness and the machismo there are profound issues. You can see the details of the narrator's life with its changes and its problems. During the Man Missions he feels satisfaction even when he and his friends have to face unpredicted events because it's what they chose to do. On the contrary, during his normal life he does what he's supposed to do, and that becomes a burden. He grew up when there was a certain traditional idea of what being a man meant. Today that's far from enough for young men to have a full life.

Man Mission is an emotional rollercoaster and a story of lessons learned the hard way. I found it very interesting for the introspection developed through the protagonists' lives, and it's professionally edited. For these reasons, my rating is 4 out of 4 stars. Note that profanities are abundant throughout the novel, and there are several sexual references, so it's suitable for adults. If you feel your life looks like a cage or your want to make important changes to your life, this novel might give you some significant clues.

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Man Mission
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[Laura Lee]

Excellently written review of a really great book. I enjoyed it, too.

[Nerea]

I agree, the Man Mission was more than a "travelogue." I enjoyed the events that were fixed between the trips experience narration. It's a book to behold. Thanks

[NetMassimo]

Excellently written review of a really great book. I enjoyed it, too.

Thank you for your appreciation.

[NetMassimo]

I agree, the Man Mission was more than a "travelogue." I enjoyed the events that were fixed between the trips experience narration. It's a book to behold. Thanks

Indeed it's a combination of trips and everyday life. You could say that the travelogue is a backbone and the author used it to build the story around it.

[oshanl]

Excellently written review of a really great book. I enjoyed it, too.

[Julius_]

I've read this book too and I love the adventure part of it. Thanks for the review.

[NetMassimo]

Excellently written review of a really great book. I enjoyed it, too.

Thank you for the appreciation. I agree about the book being great.

[NetMassimo]

I've read this book too and I love the adventure part of it. Thanks for the review.

It's an adventure that had profound meanings. Thank you for the appreciation.

[Diana Lowery]

I appreciate how you tied all the layers of this novel together. It can be read on many different levels. Also good to know that it was professionally edited.

[NetMassimo]

I appreciate how you tied all the layers of this novel together. It can be read on many different levels. Also good to know that it was professionally edited.

Yes, I tried to stress the layers' connection because it's a crucial part of the novel.

[Maria Esposito]

I enjoyed reading your review, Massimo! I agree with you that there's only so much you can say about kayaking, biking and hiking, but the author did a good job at including as much variety as he could. I read and reviewed this book too, and I'm also with you on the fact that although it might seem like a celebration of machismo, it's much deeper than that. Thank you for a great review!

[NetMassimo]

I enjoyed reading your review, Massimo! I agree with you that there's only so much you can say about kayaking, biking and hiking, but the author did a good job at including as much variety as he could. I read and reviewed this book too, and I'm also with you on the fact that although it might seem like a celebration of machismo, it's much deeper than that. Thank you for a great review!

Thank your for your appreciation. The author was great at blending so much in a short novel focusing on what was significant.

[Bigwig1973]

I laughed so much reading this book! Stupid funny! You may bring up a good point that I kinda missed which is that he did a nice job, as you say, "compensating" for the same general means of transportation. I don't set out to write fiction, so I fear I don't give credit when credit is due - I wrote papers in high school and college, but I think that's a bit different. I'm glad when people point out little things like that! Nice review!

[Laura Ungureanu]

Before reading your review, I was already inclined to pick this book up. Now I'm sure I have to. Great review!