Review by chrisann2780 -- Gates to Tangier
[Following is a review of "Gates to Tangier" by Mois Benarroch.]
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Gates to Tangier By Mois BenarrockTranslated by: Sarah Maria Hasbun
My review choice for this book comes from my long- time interest in the country of Morocco. I must admit this book surprised me because I thought it would be a different type of story, such as an exotic cultural experience. This is a fiction book. It is not an easy read. There are many ins and outs to pay attention to. If you do not read carefully you mayi lose some important details.
The story begins with the Benzimra family meeting with a lawyer to discuss their recently deceased father's will. Six-hundred thousand dollars is at stake, needing to be divided among the grown siblings.
One of the stipulations of the will concerned an illegitimate son born to the deceased father, with another woman. The rest of his children are instructed to do everything in their power to find this lost son so the money can be distributed fairly among them. Since this "lost" child was born in Morocco, and as the family lived in Morocco at this time, the search to find him began there.
The siblings of the family are as follows. Yosuf Elbez, the missing brother, whose father left the mother when the baby was 6- months old. The youngest sibling is Israel. The oldest sibling is Fortu/Messod, a family doctor in Madrid, Spain. Sylvia lives in Paris, France. Ruth, another sibling who is married with 6 children, and currently 8 months pregnant, therefore she is unable to fly and join the hunt for their missing brother. Isaque, a homeopathic doctor, who lives in New York with a wife and son. Israel who died in Lebanon in a war there. He shows up in strange places, and in odd circumstances. There is another sibling, Alberto, who is a writer.
There is a recurring underlying theme in this book which concerns most of the character’s thoughts about the persecution and disappearance of the Jewish people as well as their traditions and customs throughout Morocco and many other countries. They felt keenly the sorrow and loss of the Jewish people who migrated to Israel and left all the countries bereft due to this culture loss.
There are two other important characters who are mentioned in this book. One is Marcel Benzimra (not a sibling of those looking for their brother, perhaps a distant relative?), and Zohra Elbaz, a gynecologist, who is hiding secrets from her 3- year boyfriend, along with other family secrets.
This book has a very good, intelligent story line; however, I was lost in the wandering thoughts and experiences of each of the characters.
There were many words the author used which were not English, and I needed to look them up to understand the meaning of what the author was writing about. A glossary would be very helpful for the reader.
There were several areas where an incorrect word was used, which further editing may have helped prevent. Also, this may have been due to possible glitches during the translation into English.
The story is good, and I felt compelled to keep reading to find out if the lost brother was found. There is a surprise ending, which leaves the reader guessing what the outcome will be. For this reason it sounds as though there may be another book down the line.
I am rating this book a 3 out of 4 because of some editing problems, and confusing inconsistencies in the story.
******
Gates to Tangier
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes/nook/kobo
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My review choice for this book comes from my long- time interest in the country of Morocco. I must admit this book surprised me because I thought it would be a different type of story, such as an exotic cultural experience. This is a fiction book. It is not an easy read. There are many ins and outs to pay attention to. If you do not read carefully you mayi lose some important details.
The story begins with the Benzimra family meeting with a lawyer to discuss their recently deceased father's will. Six-hundred thousand dollars is at stake, needing to be divided among the grown siblings.
One of the stipulations of the will concerned an illegitimate son born to the deceased father, with another woman. The rest of his children are instructed to do everything in their power to find this lost son so the money can be distributed fairly among them. Since this "lost" child was born in Morocco, and as the family lived in Morocco at this time, the search to find him began there.
The siblings of the family are as follows. Yosuf Elbez, the missing brother, whose father left the mother when the baby was 6- months old. The youngest sibling is Israel. The oldest sibling is Fortu/Messod, a family doctor in Madrid, Spain. Sylvia lives in Paris, France. Ruth, another sibling who is married with 6 children, and currently 8 months pregnant, therefore she is unable to fly and join the hunt for their missing brother. Isaque, a homeopathic doctor, who lives in New York with a wife and son. Israel who died in Lebanon in a war there. He shows up in strange places, and in odd circumstances. There is another sibling, Alberto, who is a writer.
There is a recurring underlying theme in this book which concerns most of the character’s thoughts about the persecution and disappearance of the Jewish people as well as their traditions and customs throughout Morocco and many other countries. They felt keenly the sorrow and loss of the Jewish people who migrated to Israel and left all the countries bereft due to this culture loss.
There are two other important characters who are mentioned in this book. One is Marcel Benzimra (not a sibling of those looking for their brother, perhaps a distant relative?), and Zohra Elbaz, a gynecologist, who is hiding secrets from her 3- year boyfriend, along with other family secrets.
This book has a very good, intelligent story line; however, I was lost in the wandering thoughts and experiences of each of the characters.
There were many words the author used which were not English, and I needed to look them up to understand the meaning of what the author was writing about. A glossary would be very helpful for the reader.
There were several areas where an incorrect word was used, which further editing may have helped prevent. Also, this may have been due to possible glitches during the translation into English.
The story is good, and I felt compelled to keep reading to find out if the lost brother was found. There is a surprise ending, which leaves the reader guessing what the outcome will be. For this reason it sounds as though there may be another book down the line.
I am rating this book a 3 out of 4 because of some editing problems, and confusing inconsistencies in the story.
******
Gates to Tangier
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes/nook/kobo
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