Review by Natalie Charlene -- The Nobel Prize

[Natalie Charlene]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Nobel Prize" by Mois benarroch.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Mois Benarroch, an Israeli poet, has had his work published in four countries and in 12 different languages. He has won two awards, the Prime Minister Prize in 2008 and the Yehuda Amichai Poetry Prize in 2012. While he is known best for his brilliant works of poetry, Benarroch has also published multiple novels, including The Nobel Prize.

The Nobel Prize follows the daily life of an unnamed writer. After bumping into an old acquaintance, the man begins visiting another old writing buddy at a nearby mental institution who is suffering from a psychological disorder where both his personality and name change on a daily basis, and that no one can seem to properly diagnose. The narrator becomes intrigued by this curious fellow author and begins to look for and read his published works. Through reading and his visits, the narrator’s eyes are opened, and he begins to understand his new friend.

When I first began reading The Nobel Prize, I found myself hooked and didn’t want to put it down. The narrator was average and relatable, and I wanted to know the story of the man in the mental institution, how he came to be there, and the influence the connection would have on the story-teller. However, as the story moved along, it went from being intriguing and mysterious to being a little confusing and all over the place. Pieces of the book seemed like they just didn’t belong with the rest of the story, and the plot became hard to follow.

I would give The Nobel Prize 2 out of 4 stars. As mentioned previously, the book started out interesting, but became confusing and strange towards the end. Throughout the novel, there were multiple spelling and grammatical errors, which added to the confusing nature of the story line. And, while I appreciated the attention The Nobel Prize gave to mental health awareness, there were a few not-so-subtle examples of sexism contained in the plot that I did not care for. Though I did find many pieces I disliked about this book, there are parts that I thoroughly enjoyed, such as the relatability of the narrator, the mysteriousness, and a well-done twist.

While I rated The Nobel Prize 2 out of 4 stars, I would still recommend this book to those readers who enjoy stories that really make you think and that you need to take your time with to fully comprehend. This novel may not be for everyone, but it is well thought out, intriguing, and definitely worth the read.

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The Nobel Prize
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