Review by Khaya -- Gates to Tangier by Mois Benarroch
[Following is a review of "Gates to Tangier" by Mois Benarroch.]
Gates to Tangier by Mois Benarroch is a historical fiction novel about a family traveling across continents to recover an ambiguous reconnection with their cultural identity. The story follows the Benzimra family, who are Sephardic Jews with Moroccan roots, and starts right in the middle of an urgent familial issue. A will written by the recently deceased father instructs the family to find an illegitimate son of Muslim heritage, one they never knew existed. The will requires them to do everything possible to find this son to receive the inheritance, which some of the family members are in need of.
The Benzimra family undertakes the journey to Morocco, and travel through various cities across the globe like Jerusalem, Madrid, New York, and Paris—all places with significant Jewish populations. The reader experiences the story through the eyes of the brothers and sisters, with each chapter named after the sibling that it is being told from. During this extensive search for their long-lost brother, the siblings are forced to face their Moroccan and Jewish identities and think deeply about their heritage.
This novel was a very educational read for me, as it shed light on an ethnic group I knew very little about. Through the siblings’ perspectives, the novel tackled through the complex conflicts and relationships that exist between Ashkenazic Jews and Sephardic Jews. Though I had to stop and look many things up, the foreign terminology sprinkled throughout the pages also aided in making me feel like I was seeing through the real lens of someone with Sephardic Jewish heritage.
The story, however, was sometimes a confusing and muddled read, for a number of reasons. One issue I had, for instance, was at the start of novel, where I felt bombarded with random names from faceless characters who did not mean anything to me yet. A second, similar issue was the way the dialogue was written—speaker tags were hardly ever used, making it hard to keep track of who was speaking.
Another aspect that made this novel a hard read was that it was submerged in the thoughts of various characters. This made the story feel fragmented, as it was seemingly structured with random thoughts flowing from one event to the next. Later in the novel, however, it’s revealed why the story is structured this way. Many things are revealed and cleared up in the second half of the book, enticing me to keep reading. It’s the type of story that after reading, you’ll likely have to read again to reexamine and understand everything.
I give this book a 3 out of 4. While it can be a tiring read where the reader has to work to stay with the story, many of the structural choices—like the overwhelming thoughts and foreign vocabulary, had a purpose. I understand why it was done. I would not recommend this book to readers who like a book with a more organized flow, where you’re pulled in from the start and can just read with ease.
******
Gates to Tangier
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes nook kobo
The Benzimra family undertakes the journey to Morocco, and travel through various cities across the globe like Jerusalem, Madrid, New York, and Paris—all places with significant Jewish populations. The reader experiences the story through the eyes of the brothers and sisters, with each chapter named after the sibling that it is being told from. During this extensive search for their long-lost brother, the siblings are forced to face their Moroccan and Jewish identities and think deeply about their heritage.
This novel was a very educational read for me, as it shed light on an ethnic group I knew very little about. Through the siblings’ perspectives, the novel tackled through the complex conflicts and relationships that exist between Ashkenazic Jews and Sephardic Jews. Though I had to stop and look many things up, the foreign terminology sprinkled throughout the pages also aided in making me feel like I was seeing through the real lens of someone with Sephardic Jewish heritage.
The story, however, was sometimes a confusing and muddled read, for a number of reasons. One issue I had, for instance, was at the start of novel, where I felt bombarded with random names from faceless characters who did not mean anything to me yet. A second, similar issue was the way the dialogue was written—speaker tags were hardly ever used, making it hard to keep track of who was speaking.
Another aspect that made this novel a hard read was that it was submerged in the thoughts of various characters. This made the story feel fragmented, as it was seemingly structured with random thoughts flowing from one event to the next. Later in the novel, however, it’s revealed why the story is structured this way. Many things are revealed and cleared up in the second half of the book, enticing me to keep reading. It’s the type of story that after reading, you’ll likely have to read again to reexamine and understand everything.
I give this book a 3 out of 4. While it can be a tiring read where the reader has to work to stay with the story, many of the structural choices—like the overwhelming thoughts and foreign vocabulary, had a purpose. I understand why it was done. I would not recommend this book to readers who like a book with a more organized flow, where you’re pulled in from the start and can just read with ease.
******
Gates to Tangier
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes nook kobo
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