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Review by EmSwan -- Keys to Tetouan by Mois Benarroch
[Following is a volunteer review of "Keys to Tetouan" by Mois Benarroch.]
3 out of 4 stars
Review by EmSwan
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With a past as rich and complex as the Jewish religion, it can’t have been a difficult concept to come up with, especially for Mois Benarroch, a Moroccan born writer and poet. What is impressive, however, is the way he has woven this history into a rich and complex novel.
Keys to Tetouan depicts the sprawling history of the Benzimra family, from 1868 to what appears to be an unspecified date in the future. This sprawling legacy is described to the reader from a wide range of perspectives and characters, more often than not, the male relations of the Benzimra line, from uncle to son to cousin. The Benzimra family tree casts its members all over the world, from Paris to Brazil. Within this vast area each narrator has a story to tell, each with different trials and triumphs as they travel the globe.
Throughout the novel, Benarroch carefully places many clues which only gain meaning in retrospect, tying together the individual histories of characters into a tapestry of narration. A prime example of this is the school, known as ‘The Alliance.’ This is referenced throughout, by many narrators, which illustrates the thought into the order of the plot by Benarroch.
Personally, I initially found the novel difficult to follow. This is due to the dialogue seeming quite erratic, however, as the novel progressed, the dialogues seemed to fall into place more. I am undecided as to whether this is due to the author or my perspective as the reader, nevertheless, I wouldn’t let any initial confusion put off a reader. Another aspect I noticed on the delivery of the story was the fact it is initially all in dialogue, yet progresses to a variety of narration styles. This felt slightly awkward to start with – what were the characters doing? Thinking? There was nothing to answer this. It also felt that during this dialogue stage, often the sentences were long and rambling, changing subjects many times. To start with this felt like a flaw, still, as the novel progresses, so did the variety of sentence types. As a result of this evolution in writing style throughout, it leaves me unsure as to whether the start was purposefully stylistic or a simple mistake?
A final note would be the frequent use of culture-specific word choices, which I personally found to be interesting to research and educate myself further, but would be useful to bring to the attention of those who may not wish to look-up new vocabulary. A second thing I would definitely note is an occasional lack of grammar, such as ‘they preferred this will be.’ Similar mistakes did occur throughout, which is registered by the author in the prologue in a very interesting manner.
In summary I would rate this novel 3 out of 4 stars, due to its good plot and interesting story line, despite initial confusion the novel improved dramatically and had a completely unexpected, but most appreciated, ending. I would recommend this novel for anyone with an interest in history and a love of a detailed storyline.
******
Keys to Tetouan
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on NOOK KOBO iTunes
3 out of 4 stars
Review by EmSwan
Share This Review
Keys to Tetouan depicts the sprawling history of the Benzimra family, from 1868 to what appears to be an unspecified date in the future. This sprawling legacy is described to the reader from a wide range of perspectives and characters, more often than not, the male relations of the Benzimra line, from uncle to son to cousin. The Benzimra family tree casts its members all over the world, from Paris to Brazil. Within this vast area each narrator has a story to tell, each with different trials and triumphs as they travel the globe.
Throughout the novel, Benarroch carefully places many clues which only gain meaning in retrospect, tying together the individual histories of characters into a tapestry of narration. A prime example of this is the school, known as ‘The Alliance.’ This is referenced throughout, by many narrators, which illustrates the thought into the order of the plot by Benarroch.
Personally, I initially found the novel difficult to follow. This is due to the dialogue seeming quite erratic, however, as the novel progressed, the dialogues seemed to fall into place more. I am undecided as to whether this is due to the author or my perspective as the reader, nevertheless, I wouldn’t let any initial confusion put off a reader. Another aspect I noticed on the delivery of the story was the fact it is initially all in dialogue, yet progresses to a variety of narration styles. This felt slightly awkward to start with – what were the characters doing? Thinking? There was nothing to answer this. It also felt that during this dialogue stage, often the sentences were long and rambling, changing subjects many times. To start with this felt like a flaw, still, as the novel progresses, so did the variety of sentence types. As a result of this evolution in writing style throughout, it leaves me unsure as to whether the start was purposefully stylistic or a simple mistake?
A final note would be the frequent use of culture-specific word choices, which I personally found to be interesting to research and educate myself further, but would be useful to bring to the attention of those who may not wish to look-up new vocabulary. A second thing I would definitely note is an occasional lack of grammar, such as ‘they preferred this will be.’ Similar mistakes did occur throughout, which is registered by the author in the prologue in a very interesting manner.
In summary I would rate this novel 3 out of 4 stars, due to its good plot and interesting story line, despite initial confusion the novel improved dramatically and had a completely unexpected, but most appreciated, ending. I would recommend this novel for anyone with an interest in history and a love of a detailed storyline.
******
Keys to Tetouan
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on NOOK KOBO iTunes
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