Review of Man Mission

[Chinazo Anozie]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Man Mission" by Eytan Uliel.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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In Man Mission by Eytan Uliel, four friends in their late twenties commence a tradition of going on annual vacations to wild and exotic places for rigorous activities that they dub the ‘Man Mission'. As they keep up with this tradition for over fifteen years, the annual trips slowly become and symbolise a means of escape from the harsh realities of life. We follow the friends on their wild adventures in different lands as well as their personal life adventures. We see them start life at the base of the corporate ladder trying to make their way to the top, make major career decisions, get married, face the ups and downs of marriage, and deal with the joys and trials of fatherhood. We also follow their journey of personal growth, their fears of aging, and their interpretation of what it means to be called a man.

This book was a very good read. It engrosses you from the first page. You will find yourself eager to know what part of the world the next trip will take the friends. The best thing about this book is its laugh-out-loud humour. The author did such a good job with this that you will find yourself suddenly bursting into hearty laughter and shaking your head fondly as you read the hilarious antics and adventures of the four friends. I also loved seeing the world from a male perspective, the raunchy banter of the friends, and their woefully inadequate perception of women.

Man Mission is written in the first-person narrative and I think the author did a marvelous job with the writing style. Each chapter begins with a new trip, and on each trip, the narrator switches between timelines and walks us through the life events that lead up to it as well as his life lessons. These lessons deeply resonated with me as Uliel tackles issues like dealing with the pressures of life, the fear of being alone, and the fear of being a failure. You will connect with the narrator as he tries to figure out his way through all of these.

There was nothing wrong with this book. It is such a job well done for a debut novel. It was well edited and I did not notice any typographical errors. One thing worthy of mention is that it is not clear who is narrating the story because the narrator was not named throughout the book. We are not sure if the book is Uliel’s personal story or whether the narrator is purely fictional. However, this does not detract from the reading experience. For these reasons, I’m giving it a rating of 4 out of 4 stars.

This story is one of adventure, personal growth, and travel and will be a good fit for readers of similar interests. However, it contains a lot of profane language that may not be suitable for some readers.

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Man Mission
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[Bisola Adeleke]

the journey of this four friends was quite amazing, despite encountering the real life issues. I commend the author

[Rosandra Hosein]

I recently started reading this book and I was instantly hooked by the exhilarating adventures depicted in the early chapters. While it was a little depressing to witness the protagonist's descent into a downward spiral, I was so glad to see him triumphant in his journey of self-discovery towards the end. The book really makes you think about your own life.