Review by Priya12345 -- The Expelled by Mois Benarroch
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Priya12345
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Review by Priya12345 -- The Expelled by Mois Benarroch
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Expelled" by Mois Benarroch.]
2 out of 4 stars
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"The Expelled" by Mois Benarroch is part or a series of interlinked novels of the "Love and Exile" series. This review is only from the perspective of a stand alone novel, and so will not have the context of the wider frame.
The storyline weaves tales within tales. The novel starts at the end of a bus ride. The protagonist, a writer, gets off a bus and sees a woman he believes to be the reincarnation of his wife from 25 years ago. As their relationship evolves, he agrees to read to her one of his works.
This is the second story - a bus ride which is part allegory, part social commentary, told from the different perspective of the passengers on the bus while being questioned about their journey. A murder on the bus leads to a social fracture into 'front' and 'back' people - with no basis for the distinction other than where they chose to sit while boarding. As part of the interrogation, one of the passengers reads from a notebook he was presented by a 'back' person.
The reading of the notebook is the third story - the experience of a writer who is a Moroccan Jew, and his struggle with identity.
I rated this two out of four stars as a stand alone story as there were too many ideas not fully developed. The stories within stories had some room for improvement as I found the ambiguity almost too open ended.
It's never clear whether the original protagonist is also the owner of the notebook - the style of writing suggests two different sensibilities, but the themes of separation were explored in parallel.
The story of the bus journey is told from multiple perspectives, but the subsequent points of view are more like brief sketches, not as 'real' in some ways, as they don't have the verisimilitude of a fully developed character. The experience of the Moroccan Jew, has many observations, which work in the context of the private musings penned in a journal, but I don't always see how they add to the narrative as a whole.
This is not a fantasy novel in the traditional sense, but there is a very dreamlike acceptance of absolute strangeness being perfectly normal. The protagonist accepts that the woman he meets is his wife from 25 years ago - he doesn't question how that's possible. The passengers on the bus don't question their sanity when a routine journey becomes more and more inexplicable.
It leaves the reader still pondering whether this was three separate stories or just one kaleidoscopic dream.
******
The Expelled
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2 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
"The Expelled" by Mois Benarroch is part or a series of interlinked novels of the "Love and Exile" series. This review is only from the perspective of a stand alone novel, and so will not have the context of the wider frame.
The storyline weaves tales within tales. The novel starts at the end of a bus ride. The protagonist, a writer, gets off a bus and sees a woman he believes to be the reincarnation of his wife from 25 years ago. As their relationship evolves, he agrees to read to her one of his works.
This is the second story - a bus ride which is part allegory, part social commentary, told from the different perspective of the passengers on the bus while being questioned about their journey. A murder on the bus leads to a social fracture into 'front' and 'back' people - with no basis for the distinction other than where they chose to sit while boarding. As part of the interrogation, one of the passengers reads from a notebook he was presented by a 'back' person.
The reading of the notebook is the third story - the experience of a writer who is a Moroccan Jew, and his struggle with identity.
I rated this two out of four stars as a stand alone story as there were too many ideas not fully developed. The stories within stories had some room for improvement as I found the ambiguity almost too open ended.
It's never clear whether the original protagonist is also the owner of the notebook - the style of writing suggests two different sensibilities, but the themes of separation were explored in parallel.
The story of the bus journey is told from multiple perspectives, but the subsequent points of view are more like brief sketches, not as 'real' in some ways, as they don't have the verisimilitude of a fully developed character. The experience of the Moroccan Jew, has many observations, which work in the context of the private musings penned in a journal, but I don't always see how they add to the narrative as a whole.
This is not a fantasy novel in the traditional sense, but there is a very dreamlike acceptance of absolute strangeness being perfectly normal. The protagonist accepts that the woman he meets is his wife from 25 years ago - he doesn't question how that's possible. The passengers on the bus don't question their sanity when a routine journey becomes more and more inexplicable.
It leaves the reader still pondering whether this was three separate stories or just one kaleidoscopic dream.
******
The Expelled
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Like Priya12345's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: "Raven's Peak" by Lincoln Cole
