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[ayesha bayat]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Gates to Tangier" by Mois Benarroch.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Review: Gates to Tangier by Mois Banarroch (A Translation)

This intriguing 3 part novel is best described as a quest by a Jewish family, The Bezimras, to search for their illegitimate sibling, Yousef.The family learns from their lawyer, that their late father left behind an illegitimate son,by their Muslim servant,Fathima, in Morocco, a place where the Bezimras have their family history and roots.The Bezimras are Sephardic Jews, (Middle Eastern), who left Morocco in 1974.The late father's will sends the 4 remaining siblings on a quest to Morocco to find Yousef. They come from different parts of the world to try and fulfill their father's last wish.The quest is necessary because they cannot inherit what is due to them, should they not carry out this wish.The family is instructed that they," should do everything in {their} your power to find him"

What I enjoyed most about this modern and well written narrative was to try and unravel, together with the four siblings ,the missing pieces,the characters, the places and lived lives, of the Bezimra family.Just when I thought that the book would predictably disappoint,there is twist in the tale.The hope in this narrative lies in the character of Zohra Elbaz,a gynaecologist, also from Morocco, who lives in Paris,with Marcel a Jew.She is his 'domestic partner' and as a woman reader I identified this as a feminist, albeit hopeful ending!

I also enjoyed the conflicts within the characters themselves, as well as sibling conflicts.They represent for me, the fractured identities and assimilated cultures of globally splintered families across diasporas.They are forced to meet for a single purpose and travel from different parts of the world to do so.The Bezimras are representative of millions of families worldwide, who have emigrated, leaving behind in various countries family members,purporting to escape a miserable life.But do they succeed in their 'adoptive' countries? Their flight from Morocco raises the issues of identity,culture and language.What does it mean to be Jewish or Muslim or anything in this global village? For the matriach of this family, language is important and the hallmark of Jewish identity.However, all four siblings are from different cities in different parts of the world, some do not even 'keep kosher' any longer.Many fathers like the Bezimra dad ,have left behind 'more than money', after having extra- marital relationships.I also enjoyed the fact that the author gave the dead sibling, Israel , a voice in the novel.He reveals in death his 'bosses manipulated him'. I did not enjoy the political and religious slants in the novel.Also there are many Jewish terms that escaped me; I was tempted to reference them!

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.My rating is based on the fact that as a modern reader, interested in both History and current affairs, I really enjoyed the book- it did not disappoint! The Bezimras like many global families,inhabit the world.They are splintered and forced to leave their 'home' country for political reasons- but are they all still Jewish and happy? Their fractured and disparate lives are symtomatic of a wider global dispiritedness, angst and malaise of families who undergo such experiences across countries. Was this quest deliberate? To what end and purpose? This novel will find an interesting home with readers like myself as well as those interested in Jewish- Muslim issues and conflicts.Interested but not involved!

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Gates to Tangier
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