Review by CarrieMe -- The Stealer of Memories
-
CarrieMe
- Posts: 107
- Joined: 06 Mar 2017, 14:31
- Bookshelf Size: 357
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-carrieme.html
- Latest Review: "Away From The Sun" by Rebecca brisbane
Review by CarrieMe -- The Stealer of Memories
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Stealer of Memories" by Mois Benarroch.]
2 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
The Stealer of Memories by Mois Benarroch, translated from the Spanish by William C., has an intriguing premise with an ambitious scope. Written in a surreal and dreamlike manner, the primary goal of this short novel is to examine the nature of memory. This exploration is largely centered around the narrator, a writer by profession, who feels that he “steals” the memories of those around him. In his encounters with other people he struggles to determine which of his memories are truly his own and which came from elsewhere. There is no true plot to be found in this book; it is closer to a collection of memories with seemingly no real order to them. The only character, other than the narrator, to appear in every chapter of this book is a woman named Raquel, the narrator’s childhood friend, fellow writer, obsession, and more.
Although it was not mentioned anywhere within the e-book copy I was provided, this work is part of Benarroch’s Love and Exile series. Comprised of seven novels, each work explores the relationship of two lovers as they come together and are separated throughout time. It is a cyclical collection of books, designed to be picked up at any point in the set. Given that this novel is just one small part of a much larger work, it makes sense that there are no major conclusions that the author comes to at the end of the book. I feel that it would be helpful to include a reference to the series at the beginning of this book so that a reader who isn’t familiar with Benarroch’s other work will understand the proper context.
Even though, as stated earlier, I found the premise intriguing, the novel as a whole left me feeling underwhelmed. The main reason for this is that the quality of the translation is very poor. Benarroch’s prose seems like it is intended to be lyrical and poetic. Instead, due to the clunky phrasing and awkward word choice of the translation, it comes off as a jumbled mess. Even worse, the text is riddled with grammatical errors, from misused tenses to constantly shifting pronouns. Quite honestly, the book often reads like it was fed into an automatic translator, not translated by a professional. The Stealer of Memories is clearly a contemplative literary work, so it was never going to be a quick beach read, but this translation has turned it into a chore.
Although the translation issues were difficult to overlook, there were some parts of this novel that I thought worked well. For example, the book opens with the narrator experiencing a fainting spell while “remembering” a childhood bicycle crash. The drama of this event provides an excellent entry point into the unconventional structure of the story. The entire first chapter focuses largely on the events and memories connected with that particular day, unlike later chapters which seem to jump around almost at random. As a result, the narrator’s musings in this chapter feel more organic and cohesive than they do in other parts of the book.
My favorite portion of the novel was the final chapter. The first four chapters were primarily made up of dreamy, stream-of-consciousness-style paragraphs which were often difficult to follow. The fifth chapter included the same style of paragraph, but also made use of several blocks of dialogue. The dialogue parts were still in line with the surrealist nature of the story, but they added some much-needed variety. I think that the entire novel would have been enhanced if this technique had been used throughout. Additionally, the poem that closed this chapter, and the novel, was lovely. The combination of the dialogue and the poem made this chapter the most effective for me by far.
In the end, I would rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. I can’t overlook the poor quality of the translation, which makes it impossible for me to rate it any higher. However, the author’s ideas and the execution of some parts of this book showed promise. If it is ever re-translated, I would give it another chance. I can recommend this book to those who enjoy dreamy prose and philosophical reads, but only if they can also forgive a substandard translation.
******
The Stealer of Memories
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Like CarrieMe's review? Post a comment saying so!
2 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
The Stealer of Memories by Mois Benarroch, translated from the Spanish by William C., has an intriguing premise with an ambitious scope. Written in a surreal and dreamlike manner, the primary goal of this short novel is to examine the nature of memory. This exploration is largely centered around the narrator, a writer by profession, who feels that he “steals” the memories of those around him. In his encounters with other people he struggles to determine which of his memories are truly his own and which came from elsewhere. There is no true plot to be found in this book; it is closer to a collection of memories with seemingly no real order to them. The only character, other than the narrator, to appear in every chapter of this book is a woman named Raquel, the narrator’s childhood friend, fellow writer, obsession, and more.
Although it was not mentioned anywhere within the e-book copy I was provided, this work is part of Benarroch’s Love and Exile series. Comprised of seven novels, each work explores the relationship of two lovers as they come together and are separated throughout time. It is a cyclical collection of books, designed to be picked up at any point in the set. Given that this novel is just one small part of a much larger work, it makes sense that there are no major conclusions that the author comes to at the end of the book. I feel that it would be helpful to include a reference to the series at the beginning of this book so that a reader who isn’t familiar with Benarroch’s other work will understand the proper context.
Even though, as stated earlier, I found the premise intriguing, the novel as a whole left me feeling underwhelmed. The main reason for this is that the quality of the translation is very poor. Benarroch’s prose seems like it is intended to be lyrical and poetic. Instead, due to the clunky phrasing and awkward word choice of the translation, it comes off as a jumbled mess. Even worse, the text is riddled with grammatical errors, from misused tenses to constantly shifting pronouns. Quite honestly, the book often reads like it was fed into an automatic translator, not translated by a professional. The Stealer of Memories is clearly a contemplative literary work, so it was never going to be a quick beach read, but this translation has turned it into a chore.
Although the translation issues were difficult to overlook, there were some parts of this novel that I thought worked well. For example, the book opens with the narrator experiencing a fainting spell while “remembering” a childhood bicycle crash. The drama of this event provides an excellent entry point into the unconventional structure of the story. The entire first chapter focuses largely on the events and memories connected with that particular day, unlike later chapters which seem to jump around almost at random. As a result, the narrator’s musings in this chapter feel more organic and cohesive than they do in other parts of the book.
My favorite portion of the novel was the final chapter. The first four chapters were primarily made up of dreamy, stream-of-consciousness-style paragraphs which were often difficult to follow. The fifth chapter included the same style of paragraph, but also made use of several blocks of dialogue. The dialogue parts were still in line with the surrealist nature of the story, but they added some much-needed variety. I think that the entire novel would have been enhanced if this technique had been used throughout. Additionally, the poem that closed this chapter, and the novel, was lovely. The combination of the dialogue and the poem made this chapter the most effective for me by far.
In the end, I would rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. I can’t overlook the poor quality of the translation, which makes it impossible for me to rate it any higher. However, the author’s ideas and the execution of some parts of this book showed promise. If it is ever re-translated, I would give it another chance. I can recommend this book to those who enjoy dreamy prose and philosophical reads, but only if they can also forgive a substandard translation.
******
The Stealer of Memories
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Like CarrieMe's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: "Away From The Sun" by Rebecca brisbane
