Review by Child -- Keys to Tetouan by Mois Benarroch
[Following is a volunteer review of "Keys to Tetouan" by Mois Benarroch.]
3 out of 4 stars
Mois Benarroch - Keys to Tetouan.
This book is a historical fiction novel which tells the reader about the Benzimra family and their life in exile in a place called Tetouan in Morocco as well as the lives of different generations of the same family after exile and their journey to the Promised Land and after reaching there.The author (Mois Benarroch) does an impressive work of leading his readers through the hazy maze of the family tree of the Benzimra family as well as their lives and problems and decisions the had to make.
Keys to Tetouan can be seen as a difficult but yet interesting book to read, as the book wasn't written in a linear format, it can be seen as a collection of interviews, letters, and dialogues concerning the lives and affairs of different generations. The Benzimra family as we see them in this book are a Moroccan Jewish clan that lived in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. The book consists of narratives of different members of this family that tell their stories and stories of the older generations to the younger generations and also suggestions as to how they should live their lives.
Mois Benarroch portrayed members of the Benzimra family and many Jews in this book as lost and wandering people in search of the Promised Land and a comfortable place to call home, with varying ideas of what home truly was. We see the case of Fernando's father who did his best to live Tetouan in search of the Promised Land and his home and we also we Fernando as an old man arguing with his own son that Tetouan was his home and wants to be buried there, and his son was arguing that that isn't right as they were Jews and Tetouan in Morocco couldn't be their true home.
The author never had a clear stand on one of the primary issues of this book, which is "where is home" all the characters in this book were all in search of it at one point or the other and they all came up with different answers to this same question, but the author never says which is truly correct, and the book looks as though the author intensionally made it appear confusing while narrating the story, I think some of the readers would have to read the book twice to actually understand the what the author was writing about.
As much as the book was confusing, Mois Benarroch manages to links the various stories of different characters and different generations in a way that entertains the reader. We also see the Benzimra family suffer an identity crisis, which is common to many people who are migrants or children of migrants and this is something I can easily relate to as I know people who have suffered the same thing.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars because as much as it was interesting, the order in which it was written looks as though it was intentionally meant to confuse the reader.For those looking for a book with unexpected twists, thenKeys to Tetouan is for you.
******
Keys to Tetouan
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
3 out of 4 stars
This book is a historical fiction novel which tells the reader about the Benzimra family and their life in exile in a place called Tetouan in Morocco as well as the lives of different generations of the same family after exile and their journey to the Promised Land and after reaching there.The author (Mois Benarroch) does an impressive work of leading his readers through the hazy maze of the family tree of the Benzimra family as well as their lives and problems and decisions the had to make.
Keys to Tetouan can be seen as a difficult but yet interesting book to read, as the book wasn't written in a linear format, it can be seen as a collection of interviews, letters, and dialogues concerning the lives and affairs of different generations. The Benzimra family as we see them in this book are a Moroccan Jewish clan that lived in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. The book consists of narratives of different members of this family that tell their stories and stories of the older generations to the younger generations and also suggestions as to how they should live their lives.
Mois Benarroch portrayed members of the Benzimra family and many Jews in this book as lost and wandering people in search of the Promised Land and a comfortable place to call home, with varying ideas of what home truly was. We see the case of Fernando's father who did his best to live Tetouan in search of the Promised Land and his home and we also we Fernando as an old man arguing with his own son that Tetouan was his home and wants to be buried there, and his son was arguing that that isn't right as they were Jews and Tetouan in Morocco couldn't be their true home.
The author never had a clear stand on one of the primary issues of this book, which is "where is home" all the characters in this book were all in search of it at one point or the other and they all came up with different answers to this same question, but the author never says which is truly correct, and the book looks as though the author intensionally made it appear confusing while narrating the story, I think some of the readers would have to read the book twice to actually understand the what the author was writing about.
As much as the book was confusing, Mois Benarroch manages to links the various stories of different characters and different generations in a way that entertains the reader. We also see the Benzimra family suffer an identity crisis, which is common to many people who are migrants or children of migrants and this is something I can easily relate to as I know people who have suffered the same thing.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars because as much as it was interesting, the order in which it was written looks as though it was intentionally meant to confuse the reader.For those looking for a book with unexpected twists, thenKeys to Tetouan is for you.
******
Keys to Tetouan
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
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