Review by Venn -- The Immigrant's Lament by Mois benarroch

[Venn]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Immigrant's Lament" by Mois benarroch.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Immigrant’s Lament is related to the author’s transformative experience as an immigrant and his quest for finding his true identity. The author writes about himself from a 3rd person. He describes himself as a young man who went through twenty extremely difficult years of struggle, anger at god, physical pains, and mental turmoil.

At the beginning of the poem, the author provides a very colorful juxtaposition between “everything is wonderful” and “sh*t is everywhere”. The contrast is striking but somewhat resonates with the contradictions seen in the character who is “trying to be loved by everybody”. He goes through different phases in his life as a result of his mother’s influence.
“Moshe looking for redemption,
Moshe becoming religious,
Moshe a half year atheist,
…
Moshe studying mathematics,
Moshe studying literature
Moshe wanting to be a poet?
Moshe running after literary editors
….
Moshe writing a novel in 3 weeks
Moshe writing thousands of poems
Moshe writing ten novels
nobody publishes
?Moshe always trying to be loved ?by people”

The main character Moshe suffers from a split personality and a psychological trauma to the point he is driven to insanity - various scenarios play out in his mind. Moshe faces difficult dilemmas in taking a firm stance on religion and statehood (whether he is religious or not and whether he is secular or not). He suffers because he is different and has difficulty asserting his difference - being a traditional Sephardi Jewish in the Israeli society.

Moshe does not have fond memories of his childhood. He does not miss his famous Alliance School, which generates graduates entering the most prestigious universities in Israel and abroad. He does not miss the Jewish community and his family because of the pressure they exerted on him with their demands, expectations, and stereotypes about honor, wealth, and superiority. Moshe also shares specific memories of his grandfather - a wealthy Israeli with a Plymouth and a habit of smoking in the bathroom. His grandfather died of diabetes when Moshe was four or five years old but willed Moshe a building so he would have the money to study.

Despite having “everything in Morocco”, Moshe did not have what he most needed - air to breathe, time to create and be himself, to be a child and to dream. Moshe comes to painful realizations about his dissatisfaction with life and how his life progressed. He also comes to the realization he was spoilt in Morocco - everyone catered to his needs and now that he is in Israel, he has to struggle and work hard to achieve his dreams just like everyone else.

Moshe’s father had a dream to go to Canada or Venezuela but his mother, Moshe’s grandmother, encouraged him to go to Israel. Unfortunately, he never made it to Israel and in the course of his life, he experienced a lot of failures and eventually an illness and died. The pattern of family expectations prevails in Moshe’s life as well as in father’s life.

While in Lisbon and writing poems, Moshe feels incredibly happy. He writes, “all the world was invaded by love”. Love comes from the true dedication to an activity one enjoys - like writing poems, painting, making art, which is the ultimate form of human activity and a reflection of the human mind and soul. A poem helps to make the world a little less gray, the daily activities less mundane, and the pains and illnesses less distressing.

In Immigrant’s Lament the author writes in a very powerful way and expresses his deep feelings of regret, anxiety, and sadness related to his past experiences. He finds consolation in poetry and effectively uses the genre to convey his feelings. The poem is easy to read and helps any immigrant and a traveler of the world - a person without strong roots and a single identity - to relate to the main character. I would rate the poem 3 out of 4 for overall powerful expression of one's feelings related to identity. The poem requires editing of the language and some more thorough proofreading (e.g. then instead of than).

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The Immigrant's Lament
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Like Venn's review? Post a comment saying so!

[kandscreeley]

It seems like you enjoyed the book except for the editing issues. Maybe in your next review you could write a little more about what you liked and disliked about the book instead of so much about the book itself. Thanks for the review.

[Venn]

Thank you for the comments

[Jaime Lync]

Very insightful review. I also felt that the poems needed a little proof reading.

[Venn]

Thanks Jamie. Save for the proofreading, I am very appreciative of the poem and the meaningful insights