Review by EMoffat -- "Raquel Says (Something Entirely Unexpected)" by Mois benarroch
Have you ever thought about a parallel reality? Of a different version of yourself, wandering down a different timeline? When Mois is given a book by his mother, written by a woman, who was born at a similar time, and in the same town as him, he finds just that. A different version of himself in the pages, and in the author. A woman named Raquel. Believing that he, himself, could have written the book he hunts down the woman's email address, and so their cyber affair begins. They share thoughts, feelings, and emotions as one in the reality they have created for themselves; a reality of words.
Both Mois and Raquel are writers, writing about each other, and therefore, themselves. They share a secret life with each other, hidden from their partners and children. Their dialog explores how they are the same, and how one day they will meet and become one. However, as we are lead down the path of two parallel worlds inconceivably joining, it is clear it will not be that easy. Thinking that their exile will end, their individual isolation only grows when they are brought together. As they come to realise that when they part, they will lose a section of themselves, and what can be more lonely than losing a part of your existence? If they ever existed at all.
Mois Benarroch's Raquel Says (Something Entirely Unexpected) tumbles around between reality and fiction, making the reader unsure of what is real and what is not. One of the most interesting parts of the book is that it appears to be semi autobiographical. The author and the main character share the same name, similar history, and the 'Mois' in the story even talks about the books that 'Mois' the author has written, as if they were his own. The feeling of uncertainty between reality and fiction is a strong theme throughout the book. One of my favourite lines: "...that reality was nothing more than an illusion, an illusion like all realities," shows that any of the realities could be real, or they could all be false. It is up to the reader to decide.
As well as the book seeming autobiographical, it is written in a schizophrenic manner. With Mois; who is also Moshe; who is also Moisito, depending on the time of his life. He talks about himself as if he is different entities. Walking down two different paths at the same time, as two different people, even though he is only one. This clearly demonstrates the parallel reality aspect, but also gives the impression of a slight madness in the character. This is repeated when we see things from Raquel's perspective, who becomes Sara, who in turn, becomes Sarah.
The narrative of the story is rambling but enjoyable, and a lot of repetition is used to emphasise points and feelings. The story is very poetically written, sometimes even including poetry, which makes it a very interesting read. It is unclear whether he has created the woman living a parallel life to his own, or if she really exists. Has he created her in his writing to imagine the life that he could have had? To escape from his own reality? Or is he, in fact, simply a fictional character or hers? It is never clear, and this makes it interesting.
The book itself was extremely well translated, and well written with very imaginative descriptions. However, the PDF version that I downloaded for the kindle has strange formatting, with the font becoming larger and smaller with each new page.
Anyone who enjoys a dysfunctional reality book will enjoy Raquel Says. Be prepared to be confused, and unsure of what is going on. However, if you enjoy being swept along in imaginative writing then it is for you. I would award Raquel Says (Something Entirely Unexpected) 3 out of 4 stars. Although I enjoyed the disjointed realities and stories, it became quite hard to follow at times, and ended abruptly. If it had a slightly more coherent structure I would have awarded it 4 stars.
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Raquel Says (Something Entirely Unexpected)
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Italiano https://www.amazon.it/dp/1507123744
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