Review of Man Mission
Posted: 18 Dec 2022, 02:21
[Following is a volunteer review of "Man Mission" by Eytan Uliel.]
Man Mission is an exhilarating and realistic story that explores the lives of four college friends Sam, Daniel, Alec, and Eytan starting from their late twenties to their middle ages. Taking a break from their official and family obligations, these friends travel to exotic locations each year to engage in manly adventures that push them to their limits like hiking, cycling, and kayaking. At first, these getaways were intended as opportunities for food indulgence and adventure, but over time, they evolved into a necessity for maintaining each person's sanity and a much-needed outlet for their suppressed emotions.
Written in first-person perspective, this fiction is written in a memoir style where the author is one of the four friends and also the unnamed narrator. The author, Eytan Uliel, has followed each character's personal life, their joys, sorrows, successes, and failures. In 15 years, the four friends date, get married, embrace fatherhood, struggle in their careers, go through a midlife crisis and face other trials. The narrative switches steadily from travel accounts to flashbacks of personal life happenings.
The author, having traveled extensively, makes good use of his vast travel experiences and knowledge about cultures, cuisines, and people to create an inspiring masterpiece. Eytan, through his vivid imagery, takes his readers to 15 locations where they experience breathtaking views, strenuous physical activity, and traditional cuisines and get a sneak peek into a variety of customs and cultures. With the perfect visual imagery, I started imagining myself as the fifth traveler.
The character development of each of the four men is marvelous and quite relatable to the reader. One can easily spot such characters in their circle of friends. Daniel has been portrayed as the most organized of the lot and somebody whose life is in complete control. Sam and the author are both portrayed as happy-go-lucky ones with an impulsive nature, often landing themselves in trouble because of their clumsiness. Alec is physically fittest, calm, calculated, and the most metrosexual of all four friends. Despite the differences, the author has managed to create incredible chemistry between the four friends by incorporating witty jibes and friendly man-to-man banter between friends, which is thoroughly entertaining for the readers. Each character is also dynamic and evolves into a mature and responsible individual as he ages. The characters' epiphanies would pique the interest of many readers.
Eytan has also brought to light some difficult lessons that life teaches us amidst all the adventures. Despite having negative effects on men, toxic masculinity is often acknowledged in all cultures. Men as fathers, sons, brothers, or husbands are rarely given the freedom to be vulnerable. They have to wear a sophisticated facade all the time and hide their apprehensions and fears well to be true men. The author through his characters has explained how promoting this behavior can have pernicious effects on the physical and mental health of men and their relationships.
The book is exceptionally well-edited, and I did not find any errors. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would happily rate it a 5 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this book to a slightly mature audience because of the presence of profanity and the themes that the book contains. Those who love travelogues, memoirs, or realistic fiction would love this. Women who always wonder what guys think and talk about would enjoy this book too.
******
Man Mission
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Man Mission is an exhilarating and realistic story that explores the lives of four college friends Sam, Daniel, Alec, and Eytan starting from their late twenties to their middle ages. Taking a break from their official and family obligations, these friends travel to exotic locations each year to engage in manly adventures that push them to their limits like hiking, cycling, and kayaking. At first, these getaways were intended as opportunities for food indulgence and adventure, but over time, they evolved into a necessity for maintaining each person's sanity and a much-needed outlet for their suppressed emotions.
Written in first-person perspective, this fiction is written in a memoir style where the author is one of the four friends and also the unnamed narrator. The author, Eytan Uliel, has followed each character's personal life, their joys, sorrows, successes, and failures. In 15 years, the four friends date, get married, embrace fatherhood, struggle in their careers, go through a midlife crisis and face other trials. The narrative switches steadily from travel accounts to flashbacks of personal life happenings.
The author, having traveled extensively, makes good use of his vast travel experiences and knowledge about cultures, cuisines, and people to create an inspiring masterpiece. Eytan, through his vivid imagery, takes his readers to 15 locations where they experience breathtaking views, strenuous physical activity, and traditional cuisines and get a sneak peek into a variety of customs and cultures. With the perfect visual imagery, I started imagining myself as the fifth traveler.
The character development of each of the four men is marvelous and quite relatable to the reader. One can easily spot such characters in their circle of friends. Daniel has been portrayed as the most organized of the lot and somebody whose life is in complete control. Sam and the author are both portrayed as happy-go-lucky ones with an impulsive nature, often landing themselves in trouble because of their clumsiness. Alec is physically fittest, calm, calculated, and the most metrosexual of all four friends. Despite the differences, the author has managed to create incredible chemistry between the four friends by incorporating witty jibes and friendly man-to-man banter between friends, which is thoroughly entertaining for the readers. Each character is also dynamic and evolves into a mature and responsible individual as he ages. The characters' epiphanies would pique the interest of many readers.
Eytan has also brought to light some difficult lessons that life teaches us amidst all the adventures. Despite having negative effects on men, toxic masculinity is often acknowledged in all cultures. Men as fathers, sons, brothers, or husbands are rarely given the freedom to be vulnerable. They have to wear a sophisticated facade all the time and hide their apprehensions and fears well to be true men. The author through his characters has explained how promoting this behavior can have pernicious effects on the physical and mental health of men and their relationships.
The book is exceptionally well-edited, and I did not find any errors. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would happily rate it a 5 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this book to a slightly mature audience because of the presence of profanity and the themes that the book contains. Those who love travelogues, memoirs, or realistic fiction would love this. Women who always wonder what guys think and talk about would enjoy this book too.
******
Man Mission
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes