Review by dragonet07 -- The Expelled by Mois Benarroch

[dragonet07]

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

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2 out of 4 stars

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The Expelled by Mois Benarroch follows a man as a typical journey home turns into an extramarital encounter with a woman who looks and acts exactly like his wife, only twenty years younger. What ensues are a brief affair, a metaphysical story about segregation within the story, and an ending which will leave you both in wonder and wondering if you missed something along the way. While the Online Book Club categorizes this short novel as science fiction/fantasy, I would argue that it falls under meta-fiction or possibly surrealism rather than the mainstream science fiction/fantasy genres.

After reading The Immigrant’s Lament (Benarroch’s poetry collection), I held high expectations for The Expelled. The concept of a man encountering a younger version of his wife particularly intrigued me, and I still believe that the idea has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, the book fell short.

The Expelled does not truly feel like a novel. Instead, it feels like two stories—one better-developed than the other—forced together. The narrator admits that, if this story were to become a book, the reader would probably see multiple unrelated stories pieced together without a common thread. On this point I have to agree with him, but that does not excuse the lack of cohesion among the book’s elements. Some themes persist throughout both stories, namely immigration, prejudice, the persistence of memory, and, as the title implies, feeling ostracized. Nevertheless, these themes fail to unite the narrative and do not make any strong or unique statement regarding these subjects.

Other than the narrator, Benarroch provides only bare minimal character development. The reader learns small amounts about Gabriele (the mistress) and Gabrielle (the narrator’s wife), mostly traits such as their nationality, preferred language, how they cook, etc. However, more important development, such as why Gabriele would sleep with a married man whom she just met, are either brushed over or not addressed at all. Most character revelations come from exposition, which caused me to lose interest in the novel rather quickly. Even the narrator, whom we learn a lot about, gave me very little with which I could connect. I felt an attachment to him as a fellow writer and he inspires empathy as an outsider, but his self-centered ways and narration made me not care what happened to him.

The aforementioned exposition, coupled with the story within the story, makes the narration less compelling. As a writer, I appreciate the humor of the asides about the narrator’s career. As a reader, they drag down the story and lost my attention. The short novel within the novel, which comprises more than half the book, slows the overarching narrative as well. Benarroch takes a great risk by including this story, something I generally encourage, but it does not pay off here.

In The Immigrant’s Lament, the simple language and narrative style enhances Benarroch’s poetry and makes it more accessible. The prose in The Expelled, on the other hand, comes across jumbled and repetitive. I often had to re-read passages in order to understand what the narrator had just said. In addition to the clunky sentences and repetition, I located multiple grammar and spelling errors. Several phrases, such as “andcontinuing” on page 14, do not have spaces. Others, such as “a déjà vu” on page 126, contain unnecessary words.

The ending attempts to bring a Kafka-like twist to a bland narrative. Briefly, very briefly, this twist recaptured my waning attention. Nevertheless, Benarroch rushes the ending, which severely detracts from the bigger picture and the surreal concept which could have helped the quality of the floundering novel.

I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. The original concept, which drew me to the novel, becomes overruled by the story within the story and the narrator’s arrogant, self-pitying asides about his writing career. The story within the story does not add any true value to the plot or characters' relationships, and I think the overall story and the secondary story would have thrived better separately. I am no stranger to meta-fiction and surrealism; I have read Franz Kafka and Jorge Luis Borges many times, and I adore The Library of Babel. Due to this experience, I do not feel that Benarroch’s writing lives up to the standards of those genres. More editing and an expansion of the main story would do The Expelled a load of good. Until then, I will stick to reading Benarroch’s poetry.

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The Expelled
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Like dragonet07's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Manang Muyang]

Hi, dragonet 07. Such an incisive review from a reader who obviously knows what she is talking about. I know that Benarroch emulates Kafka and Borges (I have reviewed two Benarroch novels, including The Expelled) but haven't read the two celebrated authors. It is instructive to hear from one who is familiar with their work.

I am looking forward to reading (and learning) more from you.

[dragonet07]

Hi, dragonet 07. Such an incisive review from a reader who obviously knows what she is talking about. I know that Benarroch emulates Kafka and Borges (I have reviewed two Benarroch novels, including The Expelled) but haven't read the two celebrated authors. It is instructive to hear from one who is familiar with their work.

I am looking forward to reading (and learning) more from you.

Thank you for your kind words. If you want to read some meta-fiction similar to The Expelled, I would suggest Kafka's "A Country Doctor" and Borges's "The Aleph". The Library of Babel, a novella, is my favorite work by Borges but The Expelled falls more in line with "The Aleph". They're all worth a look if you like Benarroch's writing.

[Manang Muyang]

As regards Benarroch's writing, I am more curious than impressed. But I will definitely remember him for a long time; reading him was a different experience.

I'll check on the books you mentioned. Thanks dragonet07, and good luck on your Masters.

[Eoui]

Thanks for such an indepth review! I've only read The Immigrant's Lament, but I find a lot of what you're saying here ringing true for my experience. His narrator tends to focus on self and everything else is a bit off to the side and out of focus. I'll keep your review in mind while browsing!

[dragonet07]

Thanks for such an indepth review! I've only read The Immigrant's Lament, but I find a lot of what you're saying here ringing true for my experience. His narrator tends to focus on self and everything else is a bit off to the side and out of focus. I'll keep your review in mind while browsing!

Thank you for your kind response. I hope you continue to find my review useful as you look for a new book to read.

[Ayosinmi]

You are apparently a pro at this. Once again, very nice and Candid review. Actually, it's the only way to go when reviewing a book. At least, I know which books not to go near. Otherwise, the review team panel would be wondering why I have refused to update my status of the book ?. Cheers. ?

[dragonet07]

You are apparently a pro at this. Once again, very nice and Candid review. Actually, it's the only way to go when reviewing a book. At least, I know which books not to go near. Otherwise, the review team panel would be wondering why I have refused to update my status of the book ?. Cheers. ?

Thanks for your kind words! I completely agree that book reviews have to be candid. I never want to say anything bad but reviews are only helpful if they're honest. I hope you find a good book to read soon.