Review by WestIndie001 -- Gates to Tangier
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WestIndie001
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Review by WestIndie001 -- Gates to Tangier
[Following is a volunteer review of "Gates to Tangier" by Mois Benarroch.]
1 out of 4 stars
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Gates to Tangier starts with a lawyer reading the will of the deceased Benzimra patriarch, informing the family of some scandalous news. They had just learned that the late father and husband has an illegitimate son. The will further states that in order for them to receive the inheritance, they must find the bastard child in Morocco. So, the children of the recently deceased—all but one of them—begin their journey in search of an unknown half-brother.
The chapters jump from character to character. We’ll meet the Benzimra siblings through their first-person narratives. But, the problem is that the chapters don’t really keep the story moving. The characters will talk about their lives, their troubles, the oppression they’ve faced as Jews, and how they feel about the other family members. I thought this book would be about their family drama and their culture. Well, it is about family drama and culture, but I wouldn’t say it’s the entertaining kind.
Sometimes the chapters would suddenly go into third-person. There was no formula or definitive structure to this story, which made it confusing. I found myself having to read a few chapters twice, because it was easy to forget which character was narrating. I couldn’t keep up with which sibling had a bunch of kids, which sibling was a writer, which one died in the war, and which one liked calamari. The writing style doesn’t change between the characters.
There wasn’t much story in this. As I had earlier mentioned, the chapters don’t keep the story moving. Much of this book has lengthy paragraphs of internal monologues, which have nothing to do with the family’s journey to find the illegitimate son. At the second half of this book, there is a twist that changes everything. It was a surprising twist, but it felt too unexpected and out of place. Although, it did provide a bit of amusement.
I give Gates to Tangier 1 out of 4 stars. I didn’t like the characters, because their internal monologues were overwritten and boring. There were tidbits of interesting elements in this book, which were mainly about Jewish culture in Europe and Israel, but all that was buried amidst boring monologue and bland dialogue. I have much respect for a story that is unconventionally told, and for the author who’s willing to tell it. I respect Mois Benarroch, who seems to write whatever’s in his thoughts and whatever’s in his heart. I didn’t feel that I’ve gained anything after reading this book. Perhaps it needs a second read to be fully understood, but taking the time wouldn’t be worth it for me. I won’t be recommending this to anyone.
******
Gates to Tangier
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1 out of 4 stars
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Gates to Tangier starts with a lawyer reading the will of the deceased Benzimra patriarch, informing the family of some scandalous news. They had just learned that the late father and husband has an illegitimate son. The will further states that in order for them to receive the inheritance, they must find the bastard child in Morocco. So, the children of the recently deceased—all but one of them—begin their journey in search of an unknown half-brother.
The chapters jump from character to character. We’ll meet the Benzimra siblings through their first-person narratives. But, the problem is that the chapters don’t really keep the story moving. The characters will talk about their lives, their troubles, the oppression they’ve faced as Jews, and how they feel about the other family members. I thought this book would be about their family drama and their culture. Well, it is about family drama and culture, but I wouldn’t say it’s the entertaining kind.
Sometimes the chapters would suddenly go into third-person. There was no formula or definitive structure to this story, which made it confusing. I found myself having to read a few chapters twice, because it was easy to forget which character was narrating. I couldn’t keep up with which sibling had a bunch of kids, which sibling was a writer, which one died in the war, and which one liked calamari. The writing style doesn’t change between the characters.
There wasn’t much story in this. As I had earlier mentioned, the chapters don’t keep the story moving. Much of this book has lengthy paragraphs of internal monologues, which have nothing to do with the family’s journey to find the illegitimate son. At the second half of this book, there is a twist that changes everything. It was a surprising twist, but it felt too unexpected and out of place. Although, it did provide a bit of amusement.
I give Gates to Tangier 1 out of 4 stars. I didn’t like the characters, because their internal monologues were overwritten and boring. There were tidbits of interesting elements in this book, which were mainly about Jewish culture in Europe and Israel, but all that was buried amidst boring monologue and bland dialogue. I have much respect for a story that is unconventionally told, and for the author who’s willing to tell it. I respect Mois Benarroch, who seems to write whatever’s in his thoughts and whatever’s in his heart. I didn’t feel that I’ve gained anything after reading this book. Perhaps it needs a second read to be fully understood, but taking the time wouldn’t be worth it for me. I won’t be recommending this to anyone.
******
Gates to Tangier
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Like WestIndie001's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: "Everything I Know about Business and Marketing, I Learned from THE TOXIC AVENGER" by Jeffrey W. Sass
