Official Review: Benemorphoses by Bozz Dreamtton

Nhien Vu · Post by **Nhien Vu** » 24 Mar 2019, 04:43

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Benemorphoses" by Bozz Dreamtton.]

2 out of 4 stars

Share This Review

In Sarajevo city, known as the cultural melting pot of the Balkan Peninsula, there is a young child named Muhamed, who spends his childhood participating in make-believe sword fights with his friends, learning how to use a hand drill, and listening to stories about the cunning fox and the gullible dog. Little Muhamed has a big dream of becoming a writer. Unfortunately, all sunlit days must come to an end. The red sky brings on the Bosnian War, an event his young mind cannot fully comprehend until the bombs, the snipers, and the destruction come to his front porch. His home is under siege, and the only way to survive is to trap himself in the shelter with no light and no freedom. He yearns to go to America to be a free man and retells the tragedy of wars. Benemorphoses is Muhamed’s coming-of-age story. The brutal war may transform a boy into a man with a tough exterior, yet the passion of an artist is still burning in his heart.

Muhamed’s story can be separated into three parts: his serene childhood, the horrific war, and his journey to America. Overall, the book’s main theme is the loss of innocence. Muhamed’s schooldays are completely different from the modern kids’: he freely roams the streets, scavenges for mushrooms on the forest floors, and fights head-on with wild bears. Every single day is filled with friendship, jovial laughter, tender care, and puppy love. This makes the abrupt transition to war becomes even more unbearable. The natural growing-up stage is cut short. There is no home or safety left. For Muhamed, the only way to be free of burdens and sadness is to lose everything and retreat into his mind with just a small dream gleaming. I love the first half of the story for its authenticity, the beautiful yet comprehensible use of language, the insightful wisdom cleverly communicated through bedtime stories, and plenty of subtle advice on how to help your kids mature and toughen up in drastic situations.

Bozz Dreamtton paints the Bosnian War vividly in its horrid nature. It is interesting that Muhamed usually avoids dealing with his emotions and chooses to ignore or suppress them instead. This is an understandable defense mechanism, but when the impact hits him, it hits him hard, and we can see how truly broken he is. In my opinion, the destruction of war can be felt in this simple yet truthful comment: “I have not seen an apple in years, Grandma, is this real?”

On the downside, the book loses its momentum gradually. The writing becomes too wordy for my liking. One example is “We persisted in our efforts of continually walking, irrelevant of the elements, unrelated to the exerted strain, and driven by nothing but an untainted resolve to persevere.” The wisdom is shoehorned into the story for literary value, thereby becoming forced and preachy. There are some redundant details that can be trimmed, for example, Muhamed mentions his dog once, but the poor creature never reappears or influences the story whatsoever. The final part is supposed to be the long-awaited reward for Muhamed’s perseverance, yet it feels rushed. The book has some punctuation mistakes, but fortunately, they never negatively affect my reading. My biggest complaint regarding the editing process concerns the overuse of semicolons. It is grammatically correct but unnecessary.

I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. I honestly want to give it a higher score since the story has such a beautiful rhythm and sincere intent. However, I ask myself whether it leaves me with the terror of war, anger, and sadness. Yes, it obviously does, but the impact isn’t resonant enough for the story to be truly memorable among many other war testimonies. The wordy writing style does not help either. I understand that the author wants to write a literary work reminiscent of poetry, but this style somehow undermines the reality of war and makes the flow become less natural.

Benemorphoses is still a worthwhile read, especially if you are in search of a war story from a youngster’s perspective. The book will provide you with a candid account of a rarely mentioned Russian war. On a warning note, it features many war atrocities, including children’s deaths, bombing, rape, and kidnapping, which can trigger sensitive readers.

******
Benemorphoses
View: on Bookshelves

Like SpencerVo's review? Post a comment saying so!

Post by **kandscreeley** » 01 Apr 2019, 09:10

It's too bad this one does impact you as much as it should. It takes a special memoir for me to decide to read it, and I don't think this is it. It sounds like there was something to like here, but it needs more editing. Thanks.

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 01 Apr 2019, 09:27

It sounds like this book could have been a very poignant story. It is too bad it drags at times and becomes too worry. Thanks for the review!

Crazyreader01 · Post by **Crazyreader01** » 01 Apr 2019, 10:48

I feel like the war is very recent history that barely anyone knows anything about. Maybe this book could shed some light on it and make people a bit more aware of it. Thanks for the review!

Juliana_Isabella · Post by **Juliana_Isabella** » 01 Apr 2019, 14:14

I was intrigued by your description of the story, but I think I would tire of the wordy sentences.

DogoMulla · Post by **DogoMulla** » 01 Apr 2019, 16:24

It's true that war has its casualties and negative effects. War from a young eye is something different though. Considering your review, it's a 50-50. Thank you!

kdstrack · Post by **kdstrack** » 02 Apr 2019, 19:00

The contrast between his ideal childhood and the beginning of the war is amazing. I wish the writing were not so difficult. This sounds like an interesting memoir. Thanks for your review.

Damnielle0517 · Post by **Damnielle0517** » 18 Jun 2019, 15:01

This book was very poetic and worded in such a way you could see what was going on in your mind as if you were watching a movie. You see how a innocent child had a beautiful life and how fast that innocence was shattered when the Bosnian war came to destroy that, yet he still found a way to strive on and make his dreams come true. This book is for the intelligent mind who can appreciate the honest truth and appreciate the authors poetry. This was a very good read... so good I’m reading it for the second time. I have to say this is one of the best books I have ever read. It will make smile and it will make you cry and it will make you appreciate what you have.