Review by gran01 -- The Expelled by Mois Benarroch
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gran01
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Review by gran01 -- The Expelled by Mois Benarroch
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Expelled" by Mois Benarroch.]
1 out of 4 stars
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The Expelled by Mois Benarroch is a science fiction short novel with several narrators. It starts off with the first narrator's storyline, in which he is a writer who encounters a younger version of his wife. They start a relationship, which leads to the reading of his latest novel on their date. His novel describes individuals brought together on a bus that will take them to the sea. Conflicts arise when the passengers start fighting over the bathroom, then divide themselves into front people and back people—superior and inferior.
When I selected this book, I was looking forward to reading an enjoyable fiction with brilliant plot. With a time travel concept I got in my head from reading the blurb, I was full with expectations. But then, I started reading this book and I realized that it was too complex to be enjoyable. The book does have fantasy and science fiction elements, just not so much as I expected. The fantasy and science fiction elements are just the dessert. The main course itself consists of social issue and history.
My problem with this book is I'm not sure where the author is trying to lead the readers to. The book's concept of a story within a story is actually a good idea, but my personal take about this book is: disjointed. I found it hard to get into the story. There are tough subjects in this book that I think could have left deeper impressions if the author didn't make me too busy trying to find a link to connect the whole story. The plot is unpredictable, but not in a gripping, satisfying way. It's not only the plot that makes this book hard to read, but also the unreliable narrators. As I said before, this book has several narrators. Other than the first narrator (the protagonist), the other narrators are actually the narrators within the protagonist's short novel. At times, when it was their turn to narrate the story, with the way the author presented the settings and the conversations, I couldn't help but feeling like a third wheel while the other two people in front of me sharing inside jokes. And I found myself kept scrolling back to the previous page(s), thinking if I missed something.
The protagonist himself is a cynical man who is suffering from an identity crisis because of what he went through as an Expelled. His voice is typical of that of any middle-aged man with dissatisfying career, marriage, and life. Although I feel sorry that things are not easy for him, and it's understandable why he is like this, it's just hard to like this kind of character.
Overall, I think the author has created forgettable story and characters. This book could have left better impressions for its readers if the author put more attention to the characters and the storylines instead of focusing on writing a book that is difficult to summarize on its book cover. A book with a mix of tough subjects and the idea of a story within a story has the potential to be incredible. Unfortunately, the way the author presents his ideas in this book makes it difficult for me to label it as incredible. So, I give it 1 out of 4 stars.
******
The Expelled
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
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1 out of 4 stars
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The Expelled by Mois Benarroch is a science fiction short novel with several narrators. It starts off with the first narrator's storyline, in which he is a writer who encounters a younger version of his wife. They start a relationship, which leads to the reading of his latest novel on their date. His novel describes individuals brought together on a bus that will take them to the sea. Conflicts arise when the passengers start fighting over the bathroom, then divide themselves into front people and back people—superior and inferior.
When I selected this book, I was looking forward to reading an enjoyable fiction with brilliant plot. With a time travel concept I got in my head from reading the blurb, I was full with expectations. But then, I started reading this book and I realized that it was too complex to be enjoyable. The book does have fantasy and science fiction elements, just not so much as I expected. The fantasy and science fiction elements are just the dessert. The main course itself consists of social issue and history.
My problem with this book is I'm not sure where the author is trying to lead the readers to. The book's concept of a story within a story is actually a good idea, but my personal take about this book is: disjointed. I found it hard to get into the story. There are tough subjects in this book that I think could have left deeper impressions if the author didn't make me too busy trying to find a link to connect the whole story. The plot is unpredictable, but not in a gripping, satisfying way. It's not only the plot that makes this book hard to read, but also the unreliable narrators. As I said before, this book has several narrators. Other than the first narrator (the protagonist), the other narrators are actually the narrators within the protagonist's short novel. At times, when it was their turn to narrate the story, with the way the author presented the settings and the conversations, I couldn't help but feeling like a third wheel while the other two people in front of me sharing inside jokes. And I found myself kept scrolling back to the previous page(s), thinking if I missed something.
The protagonist himself is a cynical man who is suffering from an identity crisis because of what he went through as an Expelled. His voice is typical of that of any middle-aged man with dissatisfying career, marriage, and life. Although I feel sorry that things are not easy for him, and it's understandable why he is like this, it's just hard to like this kind of character.
Overall, I think the author has created forgettable story and characters. This book could have left better impressions for its readers if the author put more attention to the characters and the storylines instead of focusing on writing a book that is difficult to summarize on its book cover. A book with a mix of tough subjects and the idea of a story within a story has the potential to be incredible. Unfortunately, the way the author presents his ideas in this book makes it difficult for me to label it as incredible. So, I give it 1 out of 4 stars.
******
The Expelled
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
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Latest Review: "Raven's Peak" by Lincoln Cole
