Review by KitabuKitamu -- Keys to Tetouan by Mois Benarroch
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4 out of 4 stars
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Tetouan is a town in Morocco where some Jews expelled from Spain in the 1400’s had settled and made their home. Mois Benarroch tells the story of the Benzimra family through its generations which sprung from the Jewish settlers of this town.
Between the chapters in this book, there are poetic/play ditties usually musing about the motherland. When are we going? Why should we go in the first place? Why don’t we feel at home even though we’ve arrived...? The chapters are a mix of stories from the perspective of different people, oral and in form of letters. From the stories, we learn of the different professions of the family members and what their association, tie or longing with Tetouan is.
The Jewish roots of most characters in this book are a great influence on the themes that dominate the text. We see their struggles in being accepted in the countries they had been exiled to, and their sense of exile while back in their own homeland. We also have a sense of the relational tensions with Christians, Europeans, Arabs, etc. For instance, it doesn’t make sense for a Jew who has lived in harmony with Arabs in Tetouan to have a problem with them in Israel. It also doesn’t make sense for the same individual to desire to be buried in Tetouan rather than in Israel, showing where his heart really is, where he has a sense of belonging.
Keys to Tetouan as a book seems to have a metaphorical reference to a key that has been passed in the Benzimra family from generation to generation. As readers, we have the benefit of having a glimpse of what it knows through a box that reads the memories of objects in the final chapter of the book.
The storytelling in the book seems real enough to make it historical. I enjoyed the way the stories were told by different members of the family almost giving them a personal touch, to the point where I couldn’t tell the book wasn’t a compilation of true narratives by real people. Or was it? The domination of reference to the Jewish way of life and thinking doesn’t make the book relatable to everyone. It does help in understanding them though, why their motherland is important to most and their expectation of the temple being rebuilt. I rate the book 4 out of 4 stars.
I would recommend this book to those who like historical fiction and good storytelling. I haven’t noted any spelling or grammatical errors in the book, which is really good if the book was translated from another language.
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Keys to Tetouan
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