Review by Ojaydee -- Man Mission by Eytan Uliel
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Ojaydee
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Review by Ojaydee -- Man Mission by Eytan Uliel
[Following is a volunteer review of "Man Mission" by Eytan Uliel.]
Man-Mission by Eytan Uliel is a splendid tale of four men, close friends, who begin the yearly ritual of going to exotic locations for a few days, and besides the usual holiday activities: hiking for miles and miles, cycling through rough terrain, mountain climbing, and camping outside with nature, they also enjoy various unconventional experiences; drinking mild narcotic brew, stripping naked for a steam bath with an old Asian lady watching, coming face to face with a lion, joining the search-and-rescue mission of total strangers, eating burgers made with puffin bird flesh - to name a few. This annual men-only trip of intrigue and pleasure is dubbed the “MAN-MISSION” by the friends.
In his story, Eytan covers fifteen years of the men’s lives and weaves between two story-lines: The journeys they undertake on each year’s MAN-MISSION; and their everyday experiences as men, husbands, fathers, and friends. At first, MAN-MISSION is an annual window of escape from the demanding, chaotic nature of everyday life. And for a while, it seems the perfect getaway, with the men always returning invigorated, refreshed and ready to take on the world again. But as the climb of life grows steeper, and reality ceaselessly deals the men blow after harsh blow, MAN-MISSION takes on a new shape; from being a means of catching pure fun and unwinding each year, to be the place and time of deep reflection over their evolving lives, and what it really means to be a man.
The manner in which Eytan weaved seamlessly between present and past experiences is quite impressive. It was never confusing, the glide from one story to the next always smooth. There was a time when the story seemed monotonous to me, especially because of the predictable manner in which each chapter begins: With the protagonist and his friends at the MAN-MISSION location for the year and the narrative proceeding in present-continuous tense, then he switches to the past (in past tense, of course), then back again, and back and forth till the chapter ends. But this helped to establish a pattern and solidify the plot, so I count the predictability as a mildly consequential (if at all so), and easily negligible.
What I loved most about this book was the real-life approach that the whole story took. The protagonist related experiences that felt so real to me, that at a point I began to suspect that Eytan was writing many times about himself – and I still suspect so! It was also an eye-opener for me about the average American man’s life. Being an African (from Nigeria, specifically), it was a bit of a surprise to learn that American men are also generally expected to hide their feelings and bear their emotional burdens alone. I had assumed that western men were considerably more emotional than their African counterparts – and they are, really. But being emotional is one thing; expressing your feelings is another thing entirely, and men all over the world are expected to be tough and minimally expressive.
I must also commend the editing and proofreading work carried out on the book; I noticed not a single error in punctuation, grammar or spelling, and I have not read such an error-free book in ages! In my reading journey, I have come across much excellent literature still snagged with the occasional typo or overlooked error, so this book’s flawless editing was a pleasant brow-raiser! I rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars.
Man-Mission should appeal to those who love traveling, realistic plots and twists, those who enjoy learning new things even while being entertained, and anyone that would like to gain insight into the man’s world. It does contain a frequent, unnecessary use of vulgar language and occasional lewdness, and so may be unpalatable to the religious and reserved reading class.
******
Man Mission
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Man-Mission by Eytan Uliel is a splendid tale of four men, close friends, who begin the yearly ritual of going to exotic locations for a few days, and besides the usual holiday activities: hiking for miles and miles, cycling through rough terrain, mountain climbing, and camping outside with nature, they also enjoy various unconventional experiences; drinking mild narcotic brew, stripping naked for a steam bath with an old Asian lady watching, coming face to face with a lion, joining the search-and-rescue mission of total strangers, eating burgers made with puffin bird flesh - to name a few. This annual men-only trip of intrigue and pleasure is dubbed the “MAN-MISSION” by the friends.
In his story, Eytan covers fifteen years of the men’s lives and weaves between two story-lines: The journeys they undertake on each year’s MAN-MISSION; and their everyday experiences as men, husbands, fathers, and friends. At first, MAN-MISSION is an annual window of escape from the demanding, chaotic nature of everyday life. And for a while, it seems the perfect getaway, with the men always returning invigorated, refreshed and ready to take on the world again. But as the climb of life grows steeper, and reality ceaselessly deals the men blow after harsh blow, MAN-MISSION takes on a new shape; from being a means of catching pure fun and unwinding each year, to be the place and time of deep reflection over their evolving lives, and what it really means to be a man.
The manner in which Eytan weaved seamlessly between present and past experiences is quite impressive. It was never confusing, the glide from one story to the next always smooth. There was a time when the story seemed monotonous to me, especially because of the predictable manner in which each chapter begins: With the protagonist and his friends at the MAN-MISSION location for the year and the narrative proceeding in present-continuous tense, then he switches to the past (in past tense, of course), then back again, and back and forth till the chapter ends. But this helped to establish a pattern and solidify the plot, so I count the predictability as a mildly consequential (if at all so), and easily negligible.
What I loved most about this book was the real-life approach that the whole story took. The protagonist related experiences that felt so real to me, that at a point I began to suspect that Eytan was writing many times about himself – and I still suspect so! It was also an eye-opener for me about the average American man’s life. Being an African (from Nigeria, specifically), it was a bit of a surprise to learn that American men are also generally expected to hide their feelings and bear their emotional burdens alone. I had assumed that western men were considerably more emotional than their African counterparts – and they are, really. But being emotional is one thing; expressing your feelings is another thing entirely, and men all over the world are expected to be tough and minimally expressive.
I must also commend the editing and proofreading work carried out on the book; I noticed not a single error in punctuation, grammar or spelling, and I have not read such an error-free book in ages! In my reading journey, I have come across much excellent literature still snagged with the occasional typo or overlooked error, so this book’s flawless editing was a pleasant brow-raiser! I rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars.
Man-Mission should appeal to those who love traveling, realistic plots and twists, those who enjoy learning new things even while being entertained, and anyone that would like to gain insight into the man’s world. It does contain a frequent, unnecessary use of vulgar language and occasional lewdness, and so may be unpalatable to the religious and reserved reading class.
******
Man Mission
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: Masters and Bastards by Christopher J. Penington
