Review by Rebecca Henderson -- The Expelled
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Rebecca Henderson
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Review by Rebecca Henderson -- The Expelled
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Expelled" by Mois Benarroch.]
2 out of 4 stars
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Mois Benarroch’s The Expelled follows the narrator as he discusses his books, his writing habits, and the woman who looks like his wife, only much younger. Conversational in tone, the work is told in the first person point of view. The narrator first meets Gabrielle, whom he later nicknames Gabrielle Jr. because she looks like his wife, only ten or so years younger. He speaks with Gabrielle Jr. about his writing, and throughout their affair he reads to her from his writings. The narrative weaves in and out between the readings of the narrator’s work and the narration of the overarching story.
The many scenes on the bus included a shooting and murder of a man, the doubt of those on the bus as to who the murderer was, the front and the back people and their conflicts, the cannibalism that may or may not have happened as some on the bus ate the murdered man, and finally the different perspectives of the passengers on the bus. Much of the narrator’s stories deal with a bus and the interactions of the people on the bus, but the discussion of his wife and mistress comes back in the end of the book.
The Expelled is the second book I’ve read by Mois Benarroch. Though my last experience with Mr. Benarroch’s writing left me hesitant to read more of his works, I did find this narrative easier to follow, and there were certain phrasings that I found captivating. At one point the narrator speaks of Gabrielle’s face and the description left me with a vivid and memorable image. The comments about writing often left me nodding my head in agreement. One sentence stood out to me: “Everything was going pretty well from a creative point of view, but from an economic perspective everything was drifting.” I can relate to the dual nature of accomplishment and defeat represented in this sentence and I think most readers will, too. Not all creative projects are financially fruitful, no matter what your labor of love is.
As much as I enjoyed parts of the piece, overall I still felt as if the story rambled on. It was as though someone came up to me in a public place and began speaking of their life, without any sort of rhyme or reason. While I could identify the story as a whole, in terms of events and characters, there were confusing times when I wasn’t sure if the “I” speaking was the narrator who spoke first in the piece or another narrator altogether. It was also hard to distinguish between what was part of the narrator’s stories that he was reading aloud to his mistress, and what parts belonged to the larger narrative. At times it also felt as if the writer was putting in filler to bulk up on word count without adding any depth or body to the work.
I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. I found parts of the narrative to be funny and conversational in tone, but the many punctuation errors jarred me out of the story. Because I felt lost at times, and more often confused at who was speaking and what the situation was, I wasn’t able to completely enjoy the narrative as it might have been intended in its original language. There were cultural references throughout the work that I couldn’t follow and understand, and though the use of footnotes provided some help, the effort in explaining the references sometimes undermined the cultural use itself. I would not recommend The Expelled to those looking for a coherent work, but for readers who enjoy experimental fiction, I think Mois Benarroch is a good choice. It is sad to see that much of Mr. Benarroch’s talent may have been lost in translation.
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The Expelled
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2 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Mois Benarroch’s The Expelled follows the narrator as he discusses his books, his writing habits, and the woman who looks like his wife, only much younger. Conversational in tone, the work is told in the first person point of view. The narrator first meets Gabrielle, whom he later nicknames Gabrielle Jr. because she looks like his wife, only ten or so years younger. He speaks with Gabrielle Jr. about his writing, and throughout their affair he reads to her from his writings. The narrative weaves in and out between the readings of the narrator’s work and the narration of the overarching story.
The many scenes on the bus included a shooting and murder of a man, the doubt of those on the bus as to who the murderer was, the front and the back people and their conflicts, the cannibalism that may or may not have happened as some on the bus ate the murdered man, and finally the different perspectives of the passengers on the bus. Much of the narrator’s stories deal with a bus and the interactions of the people on the bus, but the discussion of his wife and mistress comes back in the end of the book.
The Expelled is the second book I’ve read by Mois Benarroch. Though my last experience with Mr. Benarroch’s writing left me hesitant to read more of his works, I did find this narrative easier to follow, and there were certain phrasings that I found captivating. At one point the narrator speaks of Gabrielle’s face and the description left me with a vivid and memorable image. The comments about writing often left me nodding my head in agreement. One sentence stood out to me: “Everything was going pretty well from a creative point of view, but from an economic perspective everything was drifting.” I can relate to the dual nature of accomplishment and defeat represented in this sentence and I think most readers will, too. Not all creative projects are financially fruitful, no matter what your labor of love is.
As much as I enjoyed parts of the piece, overall I still felt as if the story rambled on. It was as though someone came up to me in a public place and began speaking of their life, without any sort of rhyme or reason. While I could identify the story as a whole, in terms of events and characters, there were confusing times when I wasn’t sure if the “I” speaking was the narrator who spoke first in the piece or another narrator altogether. It was also hard to distinguish between what was part of the narrator’s stories that he was reading aloud to his mistress, and what parts belonged to the larger narrative. At times it also felt as if the writer was putting in filler to bulk up on word count without adding any depth or body to the work.
I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. I found parts of the narrative to be funny and conversational in tone, but the many punctuation errors jarred me out of the story. Because I felt lost at times, and more often confused at who was speaking and what the situation was, I wasn’t able to completely enjoy the narrative as it might have been intended in its original language. There were cultural references throughout the work that I couldn’t follow and understand, and though the use of footnotes provided some help, the effort in explaining the references sometimes undermined the cultural use itself. I would not recommend The Expelled to those looking for a coherent work, but for readers who enjoy experimental fiction, I think Mois Benarroch is a good choice. It is sad to see that much of Mr. Benarroch’s talent may have been lost in translation.
******
The Expelled
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Like Rebecca Henderson's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: "From Drift to SHIFT" by Jody B. Miller
