Review by Serena_Charlotte -- The Stealer of Memories

[Serena_Charlotte]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Stealer of Memories" by Mois Benarroch.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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The Stealer of Memories by Mois Benarroch is about a man who absorbs the memories of other people. The book is split into multiple segments, each of which contains their own story plot or theme. The title is slightly misleading, seeing as most of the novel is not centered on this mysterious power that had initially drawn me to the book. The translation spoils the novel’s interesting theme. It made the book difficult to read, especially when pronouns were mixed up.

The first segment tells the story of the main character himself, a main character we learn little about throughout the course of the novel. We learn about his struggle to handle the memories of others. The author then introduces the reader to another theme in the novel: writing. The main character is portrayed as an ordinary man, with a regular job, going through the motions of his everyday life. What starts out as the philosophical ramblings of a normal man quickly turns into a jumble of disjointed sentences and misplaced pronouns. It is most likely due to the poor translation, but it makes it difficult to understand. It is hard to learn about the main character because it is unclear when he is experiencing someone else’s memory. Ultimately, I was not quite sure if what I thought I had learned about the main character had even been true because of all the memories. Sometimes, though, the author can skillfully weave a memory into the storyline. The main character’s struggle is also made apparent in the first segment. He is also as confused as the reader as to what memory is truly his.

The second segment is an incredible collage of the different memories the main character has absorbed. The memories are unique and a true testament to the author’s writing skill. The writing theme also comes up here a lot. The reader sees another side of the main character, his romantic one. Ultimately, though, the disjointed writing style is confusing. The translation confuses the English and fails to deliver whatever message the author must have been sending.

The last segments of the book are a confusing menagerie of words. They never sounded quite right, and although I applaud the author’s sound philosophies, the novel is a difficult read; it is not because the content is difficult, but most likely because the translation was not done properly.

I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars because it failed to tickle my fancy. The title is misleading. Even though there had been a hint of fantasy, the memories themselves did little, in my opinion, to further the mostly non-existent plot. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading it because of the author’s ideas. I found them astounding. This novel is not for the faint of heart. I would recommend this to anyone who has a deep investment in philosophy and has the willpower to read through the confusing translations.

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The Stealer of Memories
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