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Returning to Carthage
In his dazzling new collection, Israeli-Australian writer Ben Sharafski explores in six interconnected stories the underlying dramas of everyday life — from love to loss to betrayal — with insight, poignancy, and lyricism."Excellent! Desperately sad” - Les Murray (on Two Lives, Intersected)“Filled with an almost tactile sense of place” – Natasha Watson“A remarkable achievement” – Fergus McDermott“A cryptic look at relationships and the struggle between compromise and temptation” – Sujoya Mukherjee“I could not put this final story down and read until 3am” - Mark Porton“Absolutely mesmerising” - John Gilbert“Don't you just love it when you take a chance on a new writer, and the reward is way beyond your expectations?” – Andrea Johnson“Inventive but still grounded in the real and burdensome. Sharafski masterly constructs moments and movements of self-awareness that grapple with the human condition within us and throughout history” - Mary Goldman“These interlocking bittersweet stories are beautifully written, and I was surprised at how instantly I became immersed in the world of each story” – Marnie Fleming Ross“What a beautiful collection of stories taking you through all the stages of life. I liked each one more than the last. What a lovely and emotional journey” – Dana De Silva“The writing is simply terrific. I was hooked on his style” - Nilton Teixeira“A beautiful tapestry of love, loss, guilt and the whole spectrum of human emotions. Bravo!” - Karine Van der Elst“Sharafski’s writing really pulls you in” – Emma Ricci“This story elicited from me the very rare misty-eyed reading” - Wes Allen“Sharafski's narrator moves back and forth between the past and the present and between history and current life, tying together all the threads that bind us with each other and with our pasts” – Jenny Lewis“Such an engaging cycle of short stories… an almost cinematic quality” - Terry Wheeler“The author really captured death in a way I have not seen written yet. By the last sentence I was in tears” - Jennie Damron“It is refreshing to come across the work of someone so utterly devoted to their craft as Sharafski is” - Chantel Lora“Complex yet beautiful narrative” – Aung Kyi San“A revelation not easily rendered. You simply must experience it for yourself” – Kirsten Harris
158 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 18, 2021
33 people are currently reading
2117 people want to read
About the author
Ben Sharafski
2 books148 followersBen Sharafski is an Israeli-Australian writer who lives in Sydney's Northern Beaches.
www.sharafski.com
www.sharafski.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
October 31, 2024
All things corruptible are but a parable.
Earth's emptiness here finds its plenitude -
Here Heaven receives Full Life through (the Sacrifice of) Love:
And it is the Eternal Feminine that leads us to it (That Vision).
-Goethe, final lines of FAUST - my own badly bowlderized version.
Ben Sharafski, like a lot of us men, is after one thing: and here he takes us on a journey through a man's life from young adulthood to mid-age, seeking throughout the vision of the Eternal Feminine to which he, and we, constantly aspire.
The metaphor may be misplaced, and belie the vagaries of my own elderly mind, but Ben's collection of stories is among the very best and most representative of the cool and accomplished manner with which we harried moderns try to grapple with our sometimes catastrophic times.
It is a magnificent achievement. It has been a very great pleasure reading it.
This, for me, is The Best Book Of Fiction of the Year. It bears the Imprimatur of Ben's irreproachable Integrity as a writer Well Worth Reading.
But Ben's not finished on his quest for the Eternal Feminine, though I must end mine here.
So suffice it to say that this book has shown me a fully thought-out response to the world we now live in which is more fully representative of our contemporary inner zeitgeist than my own ever was.
Yes, it's OK to be dispassionate!
***
Ben gifted me this book in August, for reviewing purposes. And my scrambled-eggs headspace has healed somewhat because of it. It gave me a new affability, and a greater feeling of calm when encountering daily headlines.
It has given me a younger-man's healthier sense of modernity. So Ben, thanks first of all for that.
The book itself is a breath of fresh air. No more hackneyed and dry responses to existential questions, as the journalists' ones. No, Ben's is a fresh voice.
He has a lot of things of importance to say about desire and control. And his forbearance and honesty Mark him as an exceptional writer.
***
But Ben writes only about life.
An abundant life of quiet joy. For far from his native home in Israel - with all its inherent pride and guilt, as Ben says - his hero lives in Australia.
His love for his family is so wonderfully rich, a microcosm of his faraway heritage unfolding with the help of his own neat, controlled mental attitude. The passages describing how he copes with his Mom's death in Palestine are superb.
The writing ranges from wistful elegy on the ancient past (a Carthaginian coin) to the squalor and hypocrisy of recent Laos. It's a remarkable achievement.
I leave you, then, my wonderful faraway Aussie friend, with my best rating:
A Full FIVE Stars.
Earth's emptiness here finds its plenitude -
Here Heaven receives Full Life through (the Sacrifice of) Love:
And it is the Eternal Feminine that leads us to it (That Vision).
-Goethe, final lines of FAUST - my own badly bowlderized version.
Ben Sharafski, like a lot of us men, is after one thing: and here he takes us on a journey through a man's life from young adulthood to mid-age, seeking throughout the vision of the Eternal Feminine to which he, and we, constantly aspire.
The metaphor may be misplaced, and belie the vagaries of my own elderly mind, but Ben's collection of stories is among the very best and most representative of the cool and accomplished manner with which we harried moderns try to grapple with our sometimes catastrophic times.
It is a magnificent achievement. It has been a very great pleasure reading it.
This, for me, is The Best Book Of Fiction of the Year. It bears the Imprimatur of Ben's irreproachable Integrity as a writer Well Worth Reading.
But Ben's not finished on his quest for the Eternal Feminine, though I must end mine here.
So suffice it to say that this book has shown me a fully thought-out response to the world we now live in which is more fully representative of our contemporary inner zeitgeist than my own ever was.
Yes, it's OK to be dispassionate!
***
Ben gifted me this book in August, for reviewing purposes. And my scrambled-eggs headspace has healed somewhat because of it. It gave me a new affability, and a greater feeling of calm when encountering daily headlines.
It has given me a younger-man's healthier sense of modernity. So Ben, thanks first of all for that.
The book itself is a breath of fresh air. No more hackneyed and dry responses to existential questions, as the journalists' ones. No, Ben's is a fresh voice.
He has a lot of things of importance to say about desire and control. And his forbearance and honesty Mark him as an exceptional writer.
***
But Ben writes only about life.
An abundant life of quiet joy. For far from his native home in Israel - with all its inherent pride and guilt, as Ben says - his hero lives in Australia.
His love for his family is so wonderfully rich, a microcosm of his faraway heritage unfolding with the help of his own neat, controlled mental attitude. The passages describing how he copes with his Mom's death in Palestine are superb.
The writing ranges from wistful elegy on the ancient past (a Carthaginian coin) to the squalor and hypocrisy of recent Laos. It's a remarkable achievement.
I leave you, then, my wonderful faraway Aussie friend, with my best rating:
A Full FIVE Stars.
January 26, 2022
With the brief collection of essays in Returning to Carthage, Mr. Sharafski manages to articulate how cultures can be completely different, but people are mostly the same. Stories start with one pivotal event, progress through the narrator’s life, pausing for specific points, and closing…well, appropriately. Written in an honest, unassuming voice that is somehow separate, yet not unaffected, the people feel familiar and this reader was invested.
Certain moments made me inexplicably sad. Narrative of a sweet little boy, his toys and his schoolmates; it broke me for a moment. Seeing possible over-emphasis on incidents in early education create childhood misunderstandings in Israel, just like in the United States, was neat. As a child, the story-teller imagined many of his friends maimed, if not killed, by the ever-dangerous, banana-peel-on-a-walkway. In the U.S., I’m told that children felt certain “stop, drop and roll” would be when, not if.
Other asides are equally fascinating and thought-provoking. Some historians believe that child-sacrifice was practiced in ancient Carthage while others see the gravesite as a special cemetery for stillborn babies and young children. There is ponderance: is it ‘a historical reality, or heinous lie, concocted by enemies of Carthaginians?’
Not in the YA genre, this tiny treasure is still exactly what some of “my” students have been asking for. Those seeking something a bit more philosophical than mysterious will be fully immersed in this multicultural meandering.
Huge and heartfelt “Thank you!” to Mr. Sharafski for donating a copy to my favorite high-school classroom. It will surprise no one when I say: I cannot wait to share this one.
Certain moments made me inexplicably sad. Narrative of a sweet little boy, his toys and his schoolmates; it broke me for a moment. Seeing possible over-emphasis on incidents in early education create childhood misunderstandings in Israel, just like in the United States, was neat. As a child, the story-teller imagined many of his friends maimed, if not killed, by the ever-dangerous, banana-peel-on-a-walkway. In the U.S., I’m told that children felt certain “stop, drop and roll” would be when, not if.
Other asides are equally fascinating and thought-provoking. Some historians believe that child-sacrifice was practiced in ancient Carthage while others see the gravesite as a special cemetery for stillborn babies and young children. There is ponderance: is it ‘a historical reality, or heinous lie, concocted by enemies of Carthaginians?’
Not in the YA genre, this tiny treasure is still exactly what some of “my” students have been asking for. Those seeking something a bit more philosophical than mysterious will be fully immersed in this multicultural meandering.
Huge and heartfelt “Thank you!” to Mr. Sharafski for donating a copy to my favorite high-school classroom. It will surprise no one when I say: I cannot wait to share this one.
September 21, 2021
Set in various countries with diverse cultures, six interlocking stories follow the circle of life in our narrator's family. The stories are a rich tapestry of emotions, sights and sounds.
A visit to Laos, a pre-marriage getaway. In a restaurant, a "luscious beauty...beyond anything my imagination could have conjured up...handed me the bill." "Couldn't I experience the exhilaration of new love just one last time...restricted from the onset by the time frame of my stay?" Infidelity and deceit. Dare he cross the red line?
In reading "Two Lives, Intersect", memories of my own embarrassing encounter resurface. I am a "hugger"...it's automatic! The recipient of the hug was taken aback! "...a foreigner [might have] questionable merit to grandmother and the progeny of mixed marriages were viewed as between two worlds and not belonging to either." In this short story, "formal politeness" put a dent in the future bride-groom festivities. Wartime experiences of a Japanese grandmother and a Russian grandfather come to light; lack of closure for the former, secrets kept by the latter.
A first child, a daughter, was born. "...How many...wonders, how many discoveries are still ahead of her?" Perhaps "faced with my own mortality following the birth of my child, I was seeking to extend my self back in time by possessing...ancient artefacts...[thus] my resurged interest in ancient coins" from Carthage.
A second child followed, a son. "He loved immersing himself in systems that were complex but had their own internal order...everything had its rightful place..." Friendship, made difficult, until a play date with Hunter. Life in the suburbs, "point-scoring, this reduction of other people to cardboard cut-outs whose lives serve as mere benchmarks for evaluating our own performance in the suburban rat race." What was family life truly like behind closed doors?
"I feel as if a heavy stone slab is lying on my heart...I am awash with fear, dreading my first face-to-face encounter with death...[I ask my mother], How have you been?...I just go with the flow. [She says]. It's out of my hands now...". "Life is inherently uncertain; the only thing to anchor us is those we love."
"Returning to Carthage" by Ben Sharafski delivers six beautifully written, heartfelt, thought-provoking short stories. "What is the reality you need to fabricate...when you want something desperately enough?" Can the truth, including loss, be faced head on? Ever present within these stories is rich, well researched, historical data. This reader especially enjoyed learning about ancient bronze coins from Carthage. I highly recommend this debut novel!
Thank you Ben Sharafski for a print copy in exchange for an honest review.
A visit to Laos, a pre-marriage getaway. In a restaurant, a "luscious beauty...beyond anything my imagination could have conjured up...handed me the bill." "Couldn't I experience the exhilaration of new love just one last time...restricted from the onset by the time frame of my stay?" Infidelity and deceit. Dare he cross the red line?
In reading "Two Lives, Intersect", memories of my own embarrassing encounter resurface. I am a "hugger"...it's automatic! The recipient of the hug was taken aback! "...a foreigner [might have] questionable merit to grandmother and the progeny of mixed marriages were viewed as between two worlds and not belonging to either." In this short story, "formal politeness" put a dent in the future bride-groom festivities. Wartime experiences of a Japanese grandmother and a Russian grandfather come to light; lack of closure for the former, secrets kept by the latter.
A first child, a daughter, was born. "...How many...wonders, how many discoveries are still ahead of her?" Perhaps "faced with my own mortality following the birth of my child, I was seeking to extend my self back in time by possessing...ancient artefacts...[thus] my resurged interest in ancient coins" from Carthage.
A second child followed, a son. "He loved immersing himself in systems that were complex but had their own internal order...everything had its rightful place..." Friendship, made difficult, until a play date with Hunter. Life in the suburbs, "point-scoring, this reduction of other people to cardboard cut-outs whose lives serve as mere benchmarks for evaluating our own performance in the suburban rat race." What was family life truly like behind closed doors?
"I feel as if a heavy stone slab is lying on my heart...I am awash with fear, dreading my first face-to-face encounter with death...[I ask my mother], How have you been?...I just go with the flow. [She says]. It's out of my hands now...". "Life is inherently uncertain; the only thing to anchor us is those we love."
"Returning to Carthage" by Ben Sharafski delivers six beautifully written, heartfelt, thought-provoking short stories. "What is the reality you need to fabricate...when you want something desperately enough?" Can the truth, including loss, be faced head on? Ever present within these stories is rich, well researched, historical data. This reader especially enjoyed learning about ancient bronze coins from Carthage. I highly recommend this debut novel!
Thank you Ben Sharafski for a print copy in exchange for an honest review.
November 29, 2021
3 "touching, honest, reflective" stars !!
Thank you to Ben Sharafski who reached out with a review copy of this book. I am providing an honest review.
This is a book of stories of a life. A life full of living, loving, traveling, reflecting and doing. In these memoiric vignettes and episodes we are let into Mr. Sharafski's world, family history, thoughts and feelings.
My favorite is called Annabelle and describes a father's concern, love and admiration for a son who is unique and sparkling but struggles with his peers. This was quietly very poignant.
I wish the best to the writer in his future creative endeavors.
Thank you to Ben Sharafski who reached out with a review copy of this book. I am providing an honest review.
This is a book of stories of a life. A life full of living, loving, traveling, reflecting and doing. In these memoiric vignettes and episodes we are let into Mr. Sharafski's world, family history, thoughts and feelings.
My favorite is called Annabelle and describes a father's concern, love and admiration for a son who is unique and sparkling but struggles with his peers. This was quietly very poignant.
I wish the best to the writer in his future creative endeavors.
August 27, 2021
TW & CW//
Thank you so much to Ben Sharafski for sending me a digital copy of his book in exchange for an honest review.
Returning to Carthage is a collection of heartfelt and beautifully written stories that cover topics like love and death. It was very heavy in parts, but I overall enjoyed it and I appreciate the author’s skill at writing such beautiful stories.
Waiting and On Childcare and the Human Condition were the stories that stood out to me the most. They both beautifully handled the topic of death and they felt like stories that I needed to read right now as I’m currently dealing with the fact that one of my relatives will most likely pass very soon. They are hard hitting and Waiting made me cry, but these stories were important ones that needed to be told.
The other stories were interesting as well. I loved how they let me feel like I was truly traveling to a different country and exploring that new place. I also loved the archaeology and history weaved into some of the stories.
This book wasn’t without flaws and there were some parts that left me feeling uncomfortable. The mentions of women, especially in the first few stories, felt very off. The women were constantly described only by their physical appearance and by their relations to men. I’m glad that women were eventually portrayed differently later on in the book, but as a women, it’s hard to see my gender being described in such a superficial way. There were also a couple moments of cheating in these short stories, which is a massive no for me that immediately impacted my feelings on this book.
There were many side tangents in the short stories, too, especially tangents that gave long winded confusing histories of the world. They aren’t necessarily a bad thing for some readers, but they pulled me out of the stories whenever one of these tangents came up.
This collection of stories is one that has definitely impacted me and I'll carry these stories with me as I go through the unavoidable hardships of losing people in the future. Though some things in this book weren’t my favorite, I’d still recommend this one as the two stories talking about death were extremely well written and powerful.
Thank you so much to Ben Sharafski for sending me a digital copy of his book in exchange for an honest review.
Returning to Carthage is a collection of heartfelt and beautifully written stories that cover topics like love and death. It was very heavy in parts, but I overall enjoyed it and I appreciate the author’s skill at writing such beautiful stories.
Waiting and On Childcare and the Human Condition were the stories that stood out to me the most. They both beautifully handled the topic of death and they felt like stories that I needed to read right now as I’m currently dealing with the fact that one of my relatives will most likely pass very soon. They are hard hitting and Waiting made me cry, but these stories were important ones that needed to be told.
The other stories were interesting as well. I loved how they let me feel like I was truly traveling to a different country and exploring that new place. I also loved the archaeology and history weaved into some of the stories.
This book wasn’t without flaws and there were some parts that left me feeling uncomfortable. The mentions of women, especially in the first few stories, felt very off. The women were constantly described only by their physical appearance and by their relations to men. I’m glad that women were eventually portrayed differently later on in the book, but as a women, it’s hard to see my gender being described in such a superficial way. There were also a couple moments of cheating in these short stories, which is a massive no for me that immediately impacted my feelings on this book.
There were many side tangents in the short stories, too, especially tangents that gave long winded confusing histories of the world. They aren’t necessarily a bad thing for some readers, but they pulled me out of the stories whenever one of these tangents came up.
This collection of stories is one that has definitely impacted me and I'll carry these stories with me as I go through the unavoidable hardships of losing people in the future. Though some things in this book weren’t my favorite, I’d still recommend this one as the two stories talking about death were extremely well written and powerful.
September 23, 2021
”Life is inherently uncertain; the only thing to anchor us is those we love”
Sometimes love arrives unexpectedly, received even from a stranger. While reading, I wondered whether a new path in life had now opened for the young woman who's life only days before seemed a dead-end, not necessarily because of the choices she made, but because of others. And what will the young man do? Like others, his past is set, but what of the future, responsibility for the choices he has made?
For another, a marriage is dictated, but love is not. Is it the past that has been too difficult, or is the saying true, “Life is what you make of it?” Here in this story (the second in this book), I see what the saying means for two people. Grandparents of the same generation, yet different circumstances. One harbors the past, and one walks away from it.
In the final four stories, the reader is presented with a continuation, bringing me closer to the narrator as his life comes into focus. All six stories are connected by this man, but the first actually had me wondering for awhile. Forward in time, now it is a father and his daughter; a father and his son. Children will ask questions of their parents, because it's what they do. In guiding them, their inquisitiveness tends to teach us. Throughout these stories, I found an adult looking back on his own childhood. Memories of family and a homeland that shaped this father's life, and the point at which a parent will need their child to return. Come home.
I appreciate how these stories combine to make a larger one, and for taking me to places I have not been. Laos, Australia, Israel. In my mind, I see them clearly. And it's not always the physical place I think of while reading. It's the place of a characters mind - past, present and future.
August 7, 2024
Update 7th February - short story
The short story The Magician’s Shadow by Ben Sharafski is about a young man with two female housemates. One of which – Natalia, has just returned from an ordinary date. It’s not obvious, but it seems our guy fancies Natalia – he certainly seems lonely. We learn about the immigrant history of Natalia’s family, her father was a Greek-Australian Communist and we learn about her childhood and life. While having lunch with Natalia the following day, our male protagonist recalls his childhood in Israel. The thing I enjoy about this author is, the reader is thrown around in time and place, he keeps it all so interesting, colourful even.
Now, this guy’s childhood in Israel turns incredibly dark when he is invited to become an assistant for a magician in his neighbourhood. I really did not expect creepy turn of events. Again, the author continues to surprise, he keeps the reader on his/her toes.
The story ends with our character and Natalia watching a movie at a local Hare Krishna cinema (again with the wonderful multi-culturalism), the ending is open ended. But in a good way – as I have already made my mind up what these two get up to, and I like it.
I loved this short story and thanks the author, Ben Sharafski, for providing me with a copy for my own reading pleasure. But, I just had to review it!! 5 Stars.
____________________________________________________________
Original Review January 2022
Returning to Carthage by Ben Sharafski is an anthology of six short stories all interrelated involving an un-named male narrator. This collection commences with the narrator as a young man travelling around Laos. He has a girlfriend (Cathy) he would like to marry back home in Sydney. However, she once told him “if you ever go to bed with someone else, I don’t want to know about it, hence our young Sydneysider took this as an open ticket to sleeping with other women he came across. The outcome in Laos is predictable (her name was Noi) – this is one illustration of how human this man is, good or bad.
We then proceeded through stories describing his marriage to a Japanese woman called Naoko, having children with her, and my favourite involved the death of his Mother in Tel Aviv due to Cancer. The author also finely weaves in detailed sub-stories about people such as Naoko’s parents and grandparents, his own extended family, and various people they meet along the way. These tangential pieces are totally fascinating. He also takes us to Israel, Carthage, WWII Manchuria and Germany, Sydney, Laos, the Philippines, and others.
The author effortlessly included fascinating topics such as collecting (coins and artefacts), history (modern and ancient) – this thrilled me no end. I particularly liked his numerous references to Jewish culture and some of the issues involved in the ongoing conflict in Israel. So, there is plenty to learn here – all while following the stories of ordinary people who are experiencing love, loss, betrayal, death, and temptation.
I found the last story the most powerful – it is called Waiting. It involves the narrator returning to Israel to care for his mother in the closing stages of her life due to cancer. He described the oncology process and all other associated side-effects and issues with such accuracy and feeling he must have some experience with this disease, either personally or with someone close. I could not put this final story down and read until 3am (unusual for me) totally gripped by the happenings on each page.
This cancer end of life story, fed my real-life, and personally necessary need to read anything about the impact of this disease, not only how it impacts the sufferer but also its effect on loved ones and carers. It drove me to tears and I felt that ‘thing’ in my chest, and then quite happily went to sleep.
Such a wonderful collection of stories, so worthwhile, I can’t recommend this enough. I have absolutely no idea how this author effortlessly packed so much into this short story collection. This is Ben Sharafski’s debut collection and if its anything to go by, we have much to look forward to.
5-Stars
The short story The Magician’s Shadow by Ben Sharafski is about a young man with two female housemates. One of which – Natalia, has just returned from an ordinary date. It’s not obvious, but it seems our guy fancies Natalia – he certainly seems lonely. We learn about the immigrant history of Natalia’s family, her father was a Greek-Australian Communist and we learn about her childhood and life. While having lunch with Natalia the following day, our male protagonist recalls his childhood in Israel. The thing I enjoy about this author is, the reader is thrown around in time and place, he keeps it all so interesting, colourful even.
Now, this guy’s childhood in Israel turns incredibly dark when he is invited to become an assistant for a magician in his neighbourhood. I really did not expect creepy turn of events. Again, the author continues to surprise, he keeps the reader on his/her toes.
The story ends with our character and Natalia watching a movie at a local Hare Krishna cinema (again with the wonderful multi-culturalism), the ending is open ended. But in a good way – as I have already made my mind up what these two get up to, and I like it.
I loved this short story and thanks the author, Ben Sharafski, for providing me with a copy for my own reading pleasure. But, I just had to review it!! 5 Stars.
____________________________________________________________
Original Review January 2022
Returning to Carthage by Ben Sharafski is an anthology of six short stories all interrelated involving an un-named male narrator. This collection commences with the narrator as a young man travelling around Laos. He has a girlfriend (Cathy) he would like to marry back home in Sydney. However, she once told him “if you ever go to bed with someone else, I don’t want to know about it, hence our young Sydneysider took this as an open ticket to sleeping with other women he came across. The outcome in Laos is predictable (her name was Noi) – this is one illustration of how human this man is, good or bad.
We then proceeded through stories describing his marriage to a Japanese woman called Naoko, having children with her, and my favourite involved the death of his Mother in Tel Aviv due to Cancer. The author also finely weaves in detailed sub-stories about people such as Naoko’s parents and grandparents, his own extended family, and various people they meet along the way. These tangential pieces are totally fascinating. He also takes us to Israel, Carthage, WWII Manchuria and Germany, Sydney, Laos, the Philippines, and others.
The author effortlessly included fascinating topics such as collecting (coins and artefacts), history (modern and ancient) – this thrilled me no end. I particularly liked his numerous references to Jewish culture and some of the issues involved in the ongoing conflict in Israel. So, there is plenty to learn here – all while following the stories of ordinary people who are experiencing love, loss, betrayal, death, and temptation.
I found the last story the most powerful – it is called Waiting. It involves the narrator returning to Israel to care for his mother in the closing stages of her life due to cancer. He described the oncology process and all other associated side-effects and issues with such accuracy and feeling he must have some experience with this disease, either personally or with someone close. I could not put this final story down and read until 3am (unusual for me) totally gripped by the happenings on each page.
This cancer end of life story, fed my real-life, and personally necessary need to read anything about the impact of this disease, not only how it impacts the sufferer but also its effect on loved ones and carers. It drove me to tears and I felt that ‘thing’ in my chest, and then quite happily went to sleep.
Such a wonderful collection of stories, so worthwhile, I can’t recommend this enough. I have absolutely no idea how this author effortlessly packed so much into this short story collection. This is Ben Sharafski’s debut collection and if its anything to go by, we have much to look forward to.
5-Stars
November 28, 2021
An excellent debut, Returning to Carthage is as lovely on the inside as it is on the outside. The author, Ben Sharafski, was kind enough to send me his book. I am always hesitant at accepting such offers, as you don't want to hurt their feelings if you don't like the book.
I didn't have to worry, as this is such a compelling read. I started it yesterday and finished today. The book includes a series of linked short stories. The protagonist is a young man in his twenties, when it begins, and continues to his middle age on a visit to his dying mother. He seems to be speaking through the stories of the author's own experiences, as they are so natural and true.
The stories "Annabelle" and "Waiting" were my favorites. They were so disturbing and poignant. "Annabelle" is about his little boy who has trouble making friends and is bullied, the author sees himself in his son. "Waiting" takes place when he goes to spend time with his mother before she passes away. Both stories are extraordinary.
I didn't have to worry, as this is such a compelling read. I started it yesterday and finished today. The book includes a series of linked short stories. The protagonist is a young man in his twenties, when it begins, and continues to his middle age on a visit to his dying mother. He seems to be speaking through the stories of the author's own experiences, as they are so natural and true.
The stories "Annabelle" and "Waiting" were my favorites. They were so disturbing and poignant. "Annabelle" is about his little boy who has trouble making friends and is bullied, the author sees himself in his son. "Waiting" takes place when he goes to spend time with his mother before she passes away. Both stories are extraordinary.
May 21, 2022
First, I would like the Author Ben Sharasfski for sending me a pdf copy of his novel. Returning to Carthage is great a collection heartfelt, moving stories that cover topics like love and death. It was a really enjoyable read.
September 22, 2021
Six short stories set in different locations around the world, including Australia. Themes of loss and longing.
As I was reading this collection, I realised that not only was I learning so much (as there is a lot of interesting historical information offered), but the stories themselves had me asking so many questions. They had me thinking hard. About what makes us who we are, and do generations feel the hurts and disappointments of the past way into the future. Long after we’re gone.
Culture, borders, wars. The world as one giant melting pot, where anybody could end up anywhere. There’s a poignancy throughout the stories. A thread of sadness. Something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. A simmering undercurrent, like a wish that can never quite be fulfilled.
The stories feature the same family across them, which I think is a nice touch. It gives context to the feelings of the characters and added poignancy. And we view life events with them in real time.
Love and Lies in Laos
”…when you want something desperately enough, the reality you need to fabricate in order to attain it becomes your truth.”
Infidelity. A fortnight’s break in a foreign land where a holiday romance takes place between two people of very different backgrounds. What stood out to me in this story is the idea that being on holiday is often viewed as a “free for all”. Or perhaps a get out jail card? That it’s ok to behave differently when on leave. Is being unfaithful more likely to be accepted while overseas, than if the cheating occurred on home turf? As if that somehow takes the tinge off the pain (or the guilt) it causes. Are you being unfaithful if no physical act has taken place, but you wanted it to? Is thinking as bad as doing? Does this make any difference? Food for thought.
”I was amazed by her ready acceptance. Could duplicity be that simple, just a matter of brushing aside any inconvenient truths?”
Two lives, intersected
”Even as her granddaughter’s fiancé, being a foreigner, I was of questionable merit…the progeny of mixed marriages were viewed as half-castes, torn between two worlds and belonging to neither…”
Secrets and lies. Acceptance. Culture and how much it means to us. Is it embedded in our DNA? Can we ever “run away” from the blood that flows in our veins?
An airport pickup prior to a wedding. Again, two people of different backgrounds. We learn about the background of the bride-to-be’s grandma who suffered the injustices of Manchuria during WWII. This is a place I know nothing about. Then we learn about the grandpa from the groom’s side and his Israeli background. Living in Palestine for a time. Also France. Australia. Do we learn and grow from the differences, or do they push us further apart? And how hard is it to let go of childhood hurts and trauma, are they always there, like a sore tooth?
”Benjamin, still feeling the old hurt of his mother’s desertion... he had no family beyond the one which he had created for himself.”
Returning to Carthage
”An armchair psychologist might say that faced with my own mortality following the birth of my child, I was seeking to extend myself back in time by possessing these ancient artefacts.”
A story about coin collecting. And collecting in general. Why we do it. What obsesses us to obtain that certain something. Our protagonist has recently become a father for the first time, and feels that his need to “collect” somehow links with wanting to leave something of himself behind once he’s no longer there. He ponders on his childhood in Israel, remember it (through a child’s eyes) as being a peaceful time ”safe and innocent.” And yet now, there is a fear of returning to Israel to visit family, ”taking advantage of the lull in the violence” to introduce his eighteen month old daughter to the family. The uncertainty of the “peace” being like thin ice.
”How strange is the collector’s urge to own the object of their fascination., like someone who cannot enjoy the beauty of the butterfly unless they have pierced its body with a pin and put it inside a box.”
On Childcare and the Human Condition
”If reality is made up of lines of code – like a gigantic computer game – then the end of life does not necessarily have to mean “game over” but rather our progressing to the next screen.”
From the mouths of babes. Thoughts on what it means to be alive and dead. Innocent questions about the cycle of life ”So they’ll never meet again?” Our protagonist’s daughter (without guile) asks her Dad what it means to not be alive. Existential angst at its best. The stuff to keep you awake at night.
”It is past midnight, and I am lying awake in bed…what I’m dreading right now is my future death, the irrevocable end of my existence.”
Annabelle
”…both of us simultaneously got sick of this point-scoring, this reduction of other people to cardboard cut-outs whose lives serve as mere benchmarks for evaluating our own performance in the suburban rate race.”
The drudge of everyday suburban life. Keeping up with the Jones’. Going through the motions of life. Watching your children make new friends, and seeing their hurts and happiness. Experiencing their joys and upsets and wonder as your own. Are other families really as happy as they seem to be on the outside?
”’Dad, if you could go back in time, which period would you visit?’ Daniel asked me one day
‘Ancient Carthage. Or maybe Tenochtitlan before the Spanish invasion. What about you?’
‘2007’.” (yes, my heart melted)
Waiting
”…my heart is pounding. I am awash with fear…”
This was such a hard story for me to read. It is so incredibly and indelibly sad. The longest of the six stories, and the most difficult to read. The phone call you dread. Our narrator receives news that the latest medical diagnosis for his Mum is not good. The fast and furious visit overseas. The waiting... Life can be so hard. And unbearably cruel. Truth and the truths we don’t want to admit to. What defines having lived a “good life”? Does that make the end any easier? The anger. The disbelief. The guilt.
This story hurt.
”My heart starts racing. If she knew everything all along she must also have known that I could never find the right time to tell her: I love you.”
I love the writing, it’s so vivid. How is this for stunning:
”A long gingko tree grew in the small backyard, its leaves turning a dazzling gold in autumn.”
And also this:
”It’s a picture perfect day with not a cloud in the clear blue sky. Outside the restaurant windows the ocean stretches below us into the horizon, its turquoise surface glowing in the midday sun, looking the same way – I imagine – it had looked before humans inhabited the earth and contaminated it with their entanglements, their complicated way of hurting each other.”
There’s a dreamlike quality to the stories. It’s as if you’re there, with a bird’s eye view, yet watching events as through the stills from a movie. I really enjoyed this effect. And how the stories talked about lives lived through different time periods, going through all sorts of trials and tribulations in different countries. And how repercussions can still be felt so many year later. Yet overwhelmingly, people just want to be loved.
”Life is inherently uncertain; the only thing to anchor us is those we love.”
I absolutely recommend this book.
*** Many thanks to the writer, Ben Sharafski for generously providing a copy of his work in exchange for an honest review. I truly enjoyed this book, I was deeply immersed in the stories and felt invested in them.***
As I was reading this collection, I realised that not only was I learning so much (as there is a lot of interesting historical information offered), but the stories themselves had me asking so many questions. They had me thinking hard. About what makes us who we are, and do generations feel the hurts and disappointments of the past way into the future. Long after we’re gone.
Culture, borders, wars. The world as one giant melting pot, where anybody could end up anywhere. There’s a poignancy throughout the stories. A thread of sadness. Something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. A simmering undercurrent, like a wish that can never quite be fulfilled.
The stories feature the same family across them, which I think is a nice touch. It gives context to the feelings of the characters and added poignancy. And we view life events with them in real time.
Love and Lies in Laos
”…when you want something desperately enough, the reality you need to fabricate in order to attain it becomes your truth.”
Infidelity. A fortnight’s break in a foreign land where a holiday romance takes place between two people of very different backgrounds. What stood out to me in this story is the idea that being on holiday is often viewed as a “free for all”. Or perhaps a get out jail card? That it’s ok to behave differently when on leave. Is being unfaithful more likely to be accepted while overseas, than if the cheating occurred on home turf? As if that somehow takes the tinge off the pain (or the guilt) it causes. Are you being unfaithful if no physical act has taken place, but you wanted it to? Is thinking as bad as doing? Does this make any difference? Food for thought.
”I was amazed by her ready acceptance. Could duplicity be that simple, just a matter of brushing aside any inconvenient truths?”
Two lives, intersected
”Even as her granddaughter’s fiancé, being a foreigner, I was of questionable merit…the progeny of mixed marriages were viewed as half-castes, torn between two worlds and belonging to neither…”
Secrets and lies. Acceptance. Culture and how much it means to us. Is it embedded in our DNA? Can we ever “run away” from the blood that flows in our veins?
An airport pickup prior to a wedding. Again, two people of different backgrounds. We learn about the background of the bride-to-be’s grandma who suffered the injustices of Manchuria during WWII. This is a place I know nothing about. Then we learn about the grandpa from the groom’s side and his Israeli background. Living in Palestine for a time. Also France. Australia. Do we learn and grow from the differences, or do they push us further apart? And how hard is it to let go of childhood hurts and trauma, are they always there, like a sore tooth?
”Benjamin, still feeling the old hurt of his mother’s desertion... he had no family beyond the one which he had created for himself.”
Returning to Carthage
”An armchair psychologist might say that faced with my own mortality following the birth of my child, I was seeking to extend myself back in time by possessing these ancient artefacts.”
A story about coin collecting. And collecting in general. Why we do it. What obsesses us to obtain that certain something. Our protagonist has recently become a father for the first time, and feels that his need to “collect” somehow links with wanting to leave something of himself behind once he’s no longer there. He ponders on his childhood in Israel, remember it (through a child’s eyes) as being a peaceful time ”safe and innocent.” And yet now, there is a fear of returning to Israel to visit family, ”taking advantage of the lull in the violence” to introduce his eighteen month old daughter to the family. The uncertainty of the “peace” being like thin ice.
”How strange is the collector’s urge to own the object of their fascination., like someone who cannot enjoy the beauty of the butterfly unless they have pierced its body with a pin and put it inside a box.”
On Childcare and the Human Condition
”If reality is made up of lines of code – like a gigantic computer game – then the end of life does not necessarily have to mean “game over” but rather our progressing to the next screen.”
From the mouths of babes. Thoughts on what it means to be alive and dead. Innocent questions about the cycle of life ”So they’ll never meet again?” Our protagonist’s daughter (without guile) asks her Dad what it means to not be alive. Existential angst at its best. The stuff to keep you awake at night.
”It is past midnight, and I am lying awake in bed…what I’m dreading right now is my future death, the irrevocable end of my existence.”
Annabelle
”…both of us simultaneously got sick of this point-scoring, this reduction of other people to cardboard cut-outs whose lives serve as mere benchmarks for evaluating our own performance in the suburban rate race.”
The drudge of everyday suburban life. Keeping up with the Jones’. Going through the motions of life. Watching your children make new friends, and seeing their hurts and happiness. Experiencing their joys and upsets and wonder as your own. Are other families really as happy as they seem to be on the outside?
”’Dad, if you could go back in time, which period would you visit?’ Daniel asked me one day
‘Ancient Carthage. Or maybe Tenochtitlan before the Spanish invasion. What about you?’
‘2007’.” (yes, my heart melted)
Waiting
”…my heart is pounding. I am awash with fear…”
This was such a hard story for me to read. It is so incredibly and indelibly sad. The longest of the six stories, and the most difficult to read. The phone call you dread. Our narrator receives news that the latest medical diagnosis for his Mum is not good. The fast and furious visit overseas. The waiting... Life can be so hard. And unbearably cruel. Truth and the truths we don’t want to admit to. What defines having lived a “good life”? Does that make the end any easier? The anger. The disbelief. The guilt.
This story hurt.
”My heart starts racing. If she knew everything all along she must also have known that I could never find the right time to tell her: I love you.”
I love the writing, it’s so vivid. How is this for stunning:
”A long gingko tree grew in the small backyard, its leaves turning a dazzling gold in autumn.”
And also this:
”It’s a picture perfect day with not a cloud in the clear blue sky. Outside the restaurant windows the ocean stretches below us into the horizon, its turquoise surface glowing in the midday sun, looking the same way – I imagine – it had looked before humans inhabited the earth and contaminated it with their entanglements, their complicated way of hurting each other.”
There’s a dreamlike quality to the stories. It’s as if you’re there, with a bird’s eye view, yet watching events as through the stills from a movie. I really enjoyed this effect. And how the stories talked about lives lived through different time periods, going through all sorts of trials and tribulations in different countries. And how repercussions can still be felt so many year later. Yet overwhelmingly, people just want to be loved.
”Life is inherently uncertain; the only thing to anchor us is those we love.”
I absolutely recommend this book.
*** Many thanks to the writer, Ben Sharafski for generously providing a copy of his work in exchange for an honest review. I truly enjoyed this book, I was deeply immersed in the stories and felt invested in them.***
August 19, 2022
Why I chose to read this book:
1. GR friend and author, Ben Sharafski, requested that I read and review his book about "love, loss, and everything in between"; and,
2. August is my self-proclaimed "As the Spirit Moves Me Month".
Praises:
1. reading like a memoir, the MC contemplates life through six short stories that intertwine, but not necessarily in chronological order. My favorite scenarios involved his interactions with his children and the final story, "Waiting", in which the MC spends time with his dying mother - that one brought me to tears! I could easily relate to those particular vignettes where he shares his thoughts about his mortality;
2. through his interesting choice of vocabulary and figures of speech, I enjoyed my figurative journeys to Laos, India, the Philippines, Israel, and Australia as well as the historical references to Carthage and Israel; and,
3. the gorgeous rainbow lorikeet on the cover brought back fond memories of a visit to Australia in 1995.
Niggles:
1. the author confused me whenever he left scenarios hanging or those conversations where I felt like I missed something;
2. many of his encounters with women, even brief ones, were focused on their looks. This left me with a lot of eyerolling on my part; and,
3. I can't stomach characters who engage in infidelity and show no remorse. If the author wanted me to think of the MC as a jerk, well, it worked!
Overall Thoughts:
Even though the MC's relationships with his children and dying mother warmed my heart, overall, I had a lot of difficulty relating to him, imagining how many women he has devastated along the way. Was this character believable? I'm not sure.
Recommendation?
If you enjoy semi-autobiographical short stories, then check out this book.
Thank you to the author for providing a complimentary paperback copy for me to read and write an honest review.
1. GR friend and author, Ben Sharafski, requested that I read and review his book about "love, loss, and everything in between"; and,
2. August is my self-proclaimed "As the Spirit Moves Me Month".
Praises:
1. reading like a memoir, the MC contemplates life through six short stories that intertwine, but not necessarily in chronological order. My favorite scenarios involved his interactions with his children and the final story, "Waiting", in which the MC spends time with his dying mother - that one brought me to tears! I could easily relate to those particular vignettes where he shares his thoughts about his mortality;
2. through his interesting choice of vocabulary and figures of speech, I enjoyed my figurative journeys to Laos, India, the Philippines, Israel, and Australia as well as the historical references to Carthage and Israel; and,
3. the gorgeous rainbow lorikeet on the cover brought back fond memories of a visit to Australia in 1995.
Niggles:
1. the author confused me whenever he left scenarios hanging or those conversations where I felt like I missed something;
2. many of his encounters with women, even brief ones, were focused on their looks. This left me with a lot of eyerolling on my part; and,
3. I can't stomach characters who engage in infidelity and show no remorse. If the author wanted me to think of the MC as a jerk, well, it worked!
Overall Thoughts:
Even though the MC's relationships with his children and dying mother warmed my heart, overall, I had a lot of difficulty relating to him, imagining how many women he has devastated along the way. Was this character believable? I'm not sure.
Recommendation?
If you enjoy semi-autobiographical short stories, then check out this book.
Thank you to the author for providing a complimentary paperback copy for me to read and write an honest review.
September 17, 2021
Returning to Carthage is a collection of six interconnected short stories set in various countries and offers a fascinating sampling of life in diverse cultures. The stories vary in quality, but the prose is uniformly pleasing and easy to enjoy. For me, the most compelling story is the last and longest titled Waiting.
The stories feature an unnamed male narrator and offer snippets of his life from carefree bachelor days to marriage, fatherhood, and personal losses. He has stubborn Casanova traits, which did not endear him to me but his love for his family, especially his mother, touched me deeply and allowed me to like him better. What lends this collection of stories its strength is its ability to connect the readers to human impulses and encounters that are familiar and relatable, such as an ill-placed seduction, unalloyed joy in a child’s wonder at new experiences, anxiety surrounding death and dying. Another welcoming quality is its wonderful depiction of the sights and sounds of eclectic locales that include village life in Laos, ancient Carthage famed for Pythagorean philosophy and ignominy of child sacrifice, suburban middle-class living in Sydney, or religious observances in Israel.
Below is a brief synopsis of the six stories. You may wish to stop reading here if you have not read these stories.
Returning to Carthage is a credible debut work. Three half stars rounded to four. I look forward to reading more of Ben Sharafki’s writing.
The stories feature an unnamed male narrator and offer snippets of his life from carefree bachelor days to marriage, fatherhood, and personal losses. He has stubborn Casanova traits, which did not endear him to me but his love for his family, especially his mother, touched me deeply and allowed me to like him better. What lends this collection of stories its strength is its ability to connect the readers to human impulses and encounters that are familiar and relatable, such as an ill-placed seduction, unalloyed joy in a child’s wonder at new experiences, anxiety surrounding death and dying. Another welcoming quality is its wonderful depiction of the sights and sounds of eclectic locales that include village life in Laos, ancient Carthage famed for Pythagorean philosophy and ignominy of child sacrifice, suburban middle-class living in Sydney, or religious observances in Israel.
Below is a brief synopsis of the six stories. You may wish to stop reading here if you have not read these stories.
Returning to Carthage is a credible debut work. Three half stars rounded to four. I look forward to reading more of Ben Sharafki’s writing.
March 11, 2022
With the exception of the first story Love and Lies in Laos this collection of short stories feature the same family and so it more a collection of vignettes. Generally speaking I’m not a big fan of this approach – it has always struck me as a cop-out; not enough material to write a novel, not enough ideas to produce a range of stories- but in this case the narratives were sufficiently different and the writing strong enough for them to stand alone.
Within the stories there are the threads common to everyone, the feeling of boredom and claustrophobia that periodically infiltrates all long-term relationships, the fleeting attractions to people that will never be acted upon, mortality and its meaning to different generations.
There are several stand out stories for me. On Childcare and the Human Condition which reminded me of talking with a toddler about death after her gerbil had departed for the great wheel hamster wheel in the sky and her grasp of aging was succinctly put as, “so when you die you just run out of time.” This was a beautifully written, sensitive story where the child’s matter of fact acceptance of death is so at odds with the true feelings of the middle-aged parent who is struggling with it in relation to his own parents and himself but must adopt the same accepting tone for his daughter. Linked with this was the final heart-breaking story Waiting where a son returns home to care for his cancer-stricken mother in her final days. It was tender and moving without being maudlin or sentimental, and the moment the narrator looks at his mother and sees her for the first time as old was very .
For me the stand out story was the first as it takes the well-known cliché of western tourists and Thai brides. It laid bare the dual motivations of both parties in the transaction, Noi’s need to escape the poverty of her homeland and the narrator’s desire to have a final fling with an attractive, exotic woman before he settles down to marriage. We see both of them playing a role, he as the serious suitor who will save her and take her to a better life, she the subservient perfect partner. The strength of the story is that Sharafsky shows the deception both employ. It is a tale of self-deception, the lies we tell others, how we choose to interpret the words of others, how we convince ourselves others will interpret our actions and the well-choregraphed dance of deceit that is performed.
These are an engaging series of stories that deal with the big issues of life and for that reason definitely worth a read.
Within the stories there are the threads common to everyone, the feeling of boredom and claustrophobia that periodically infiltrates all long-term relationships, the fleeting attractions to people that will never be acted upon, mortality and its meaning to different generations.
There are several stand out stories for me. On Childcare and the Human Condition which reminded me of talking with a toddler about death after her gerbil had departed for the great wheel hamster wheel in the sky and her grasp of aging was succinctly put as, “so when you die you just run out of time.” This was a beautifully written, sensitive story where the child’s matter of fact acceptance of death is so at odds with the true feelings of the middle-aged parent who is struggling with it in relation to his own parents and himself but must adopt the same accepting tone for his daughter. Linked with this was the final heart-breaking story Waiting where a son returns home to care for his cancer-stricken mother in her final days. It was tender and moving without being maudlin or sentimental, and the moment the narrator looks at his mother and sees her for the first time as old was very .
For me the stand out story was the first as it takes the well-known cliché of western tourists and Thai brides. It laid bare the dual motivations of both parties in the transaction, Noi’s need to escape the poverty of her homeland and the narrator’s desire to have a final fling with an attractive, exotic woman before he settles down to marriage. We see both of them playing a role, he as the serious suitor who will save her and take her to a better life, she the subservient perfect partner. The strength of the story is that Sharafsky shows the deception both employ. It is a tale of self-deception, the lies we tell others, how we choose to interpret the words of others, how we convince ourselves others will interpret our actions and the well-choregraphed dance of deceit that is performed.
These are an engaging series of stories that deal with the big issues of life and for that reason definitely worth a read.
September 9, 2021
3.5- 4*
What a different book to my normal, and this is a good place to be. Thank you to the author for sending a physical copy of this. Nice to read some things about Sydney. Very well written, so often I receive books and the writing isn’t great. This writing is great! Such historical references, and showing the breadth of knowledge of the author, and I assume a lot of family history as well, and I assume semi-autobiographical.
A few comments on some of the stories. A funnier light-hearted one about being duped by pretty girls overseas purchasing a visa. The second one was quite easily turned to lust whilst on holiday and forgetting his girl back home. Such a visual ambiance of the travels as the romance continued with the next story.
Then we go to Japan with the older generation, an 80-year-old grandmother. “Combines them with casual suffixes that convey intimacy but can also express disdain”. I like this. Such intricate descriptions of 1920’s Japan. I like the reference that as a child there was an imagining of a large distance to visit a horse, and then he google mapped it and it was only 270 metres. An interesting way to join the past to the present.
Then we move on to attending Waringah Mall, then descriptions of entering a mall in Israel where armed guards will check for weapons in the boot.
As a child comparisons with sitting in class being taught about how to spot land mines in person, but also he wants us to know that he didn’t see violence in Israel, but now as an adult, if he was to take his daughter to see his grandmother he would need to return and this may not be so safe. Such a quandary and weight on his mind.
Lots of stories, weaved together like a thread of family history.
Many thanks to the author for my copy to review. So interesting.
What a different book to my normal, and this is a good place to be. Thank you to the author for sending a physical copy of this. Nice to read some things about Sydney. Very well written, so often I receive books and the writing isn’t great. This writing is great! Such historical references, and showing the breadth of knowledge of the author, and I assume a lot of family history as well, and I assume semi-autobiographical.
A few comments on some of the stories. A funnier light-hearted one about being duped by pretty girls overseas purchasing a visa. The second one was quite easily turned to lust whilst on holiday and forgetting his girl back home. Such a visual ambiance of the travels as the romance continued with the next story.
Then we go to Japan with the older generation, an 80-year-old grandmother. “Combines them with casual suffixes that convey intimacy but can also express disdain”. I like this. Such intricate descriptions of 1920’s Japan. I like the reference that as a child there was an imagining of a large distance to visit a horse, and then he google mapped it and it was only 270 metres. An interesting way to join the past to the present.
Then we move on to attending Waringah Mall, then descriptions of entering a mall in Israel where armed guards will check for weapons in the boot.
As a child comparisons with sitting in class being taught about how to spot land mines in person, but also he wants us to know that he didn’t see violence in Israel, but now as an adult, if he was to take his daughter to see his grandmother he would need to return and this may not be so safe. Such a quandary and weight on his mind.
Lots of stories, weaved together like a thread of family history.
Many thanks to the author for my copy to review. So interesting.
January 18, 2022
“Returning to Carthage” is a collection of six linked short stories which explore the many different forms of love. The stories traverse the globe, but the reader realizes that no matter where you are on this planet love and loss visit us all.
Passionate white-hot love, deceitful secret love, filial love.
The first story “Love and Lies in Laos”, love that title, explores the deceitful, secret love. The protagonist takes a holiday in Laos and engages in an affair almost immediately. However, is this love or lust?
The third story “Returning to Carthage” is about another type of love. The love of collecting. The protagonist ponders why we love collecting objects, ephemera, books. His passion is Carthaginian coins, and this collection leads to an interesting point. Historians believe that the Carthaginians sacrificed children, particularly in times of war. Archaeological evidence found seems to prove these rituals did take place, but how can we be truly sure. So, this short story also questions the accuracy of history. History, again especially in times of war, is recorded by the victorious nation or culture. So, were these sacrifices simply Roman propaganda? A reason to wipe Carthage off the map.
The next story “On Childcare and the Human Condition” looks at life, and life after death. Is religion just a crutch to assuage our fear of the possibility that there is nothing at all after we die? Is reincarnation what happens, an endless circle of life that is continually renewed after death like a phoenix rising from the ashes. A daughter questions her father, trying to answer a question that none of us know the answer to.
The last story “Waiting” may be a hard read for those who have lost loved ones to a slow inexorable death. This story is very close to the bone for me. I have had two loved ones pass away slowly, in pain, losing their dignity. It raised the question why we try with all our might to preserve life simply for the point of keeping that life aflame. We love our pets enough to end their pain and suffering and yet we keep our loved ones alive at all costs. This story although devastatingly sad is my favourite. For me it represents the most powerful form of love in the book. A love powerful enough to let that loved one go. Yes, preserve life at all costs, but when that life is not living, but existing, existing in pain and misery, we need to help that loved one.
Thankyou to Ben Sharafski for sending me a copy of this wonderful collection.
Passionate white-hot love, deceitful secret love, filial love.
The first story “Love and Lies in Laos”, love that title, explores the deceitful, secret love. The protagonist takes a holiday in Laos and engages in an affair almost immediately. However, is this love or lust?
The third story “Returning to Carthage” is about another type of love. The love of collecting. The protagonist ponders why we love collecting objects, ephemera, books. His passion is Carthaginian coins, and this collection leads to an interesting point. Historians believe that the Carthaginians sacrificed children, particularly in times of war. Archaeological evidence found seems to prove these rituals did take place, but how can we be truly sure. So, this short story also questions the accuracy of history. History, again especially in times of war, is recorded by the victorious nation or culture. So, were these sacrifices simply Roman propaganda? A reason to wipe Carthage off the map.
The next story “On Childcare and the Human Condition” looks at life, and life after death. Is religion just a crutch to assuage our fear of the possibility that there is nothing at all after we die? Is reincarnation what happens, an endless circle of life that is continually renewed after death like a phoenix rising from the ashes. A daughter questions her father, trying to answer a question that none of us know the answer to.
The last story “Waiting” may be a hard read for those who have lost loved ones to a slow inexorable death. This story is very close to the bone for me. I have had two loved ones pass away slowly, in pain, losing their dignity. It raised the question why we try with all our might to preserve life simply for the point of keeping that life aflame. We love our pets enough to end their pain and suffering and yet we keep our loved ones alive at all costs. This story although devastatingly sad is my favourite. For me it represents the most powerful form of love in the book. A love powerful enough to let that loved one go. Yes, preserve life at all costs, but when that life is not living, but existing, existing in pain and misery, we need to help that loved one.
Thankyou to Ben Sharafski for sending me a copy of this wonderful collection.
October 7, 2021
I found this collection of short stories absolutely mesmorising, well written and full of both autobiographical and fictional accounts of Ben's or someone elses life. The prose is supurb, the stories engaging and often filled with interesting facts.
By far the longest story is the last, where the writer goes to Israel to help his brother care for his dying mother. This was intense and seemed to be never ending, reminicent of my own experiences, but far more detailed than anything I have ever read about death before. Extraordinary.
His observations of Israel are very insightful, a couple of examples:
'I count of the number of calls. Twelve, maybe fifteen. I’d forgotten what it was like in Israel, where social interaction is a national obsession, as if people were trying to avoid solitude at all costs, to steer clear of any opportunity for reflection.'
'I don’t smoke in their presence. Israelis excel in a number of different fields, but keeping secrets is not one of them.'
The following from an reimagined event early in his mother's life before he was born by her older sister: “Your face looks like someone shit on it through a sieve!” Rachel shouted at her during an argument, because his mother had freckles.
Ben had invited me to read his book, as a fellow Sydneysider, I welcomed the opportunity. I do not regret it at all, thanks Ben, well done indeed.
By far the longest story is the last, where the writer goes to Israel to help his brother care for his dying mother. This was intense and seemed to be never ending, reminicent of my own experiences, but far more detailed than anything I have ever read about death before. Extraordinary.
His observations of Israel are very insightful, a couple of examples:
'I count of the number of calls. Twelve, maybe fifteen. I’d forgotten what it was like in Israel, where social interaction is a national obsession, as if people were trying to avoid solitude at all costs, to steer clear of any opportunity for reflection.'
'I don’t smoke in their presence. Israelis excel in a number of different fields, but keeping secrets is not one of them.'
The following from an reimagined event early in his mother's life before he was born by her older sister: “Your face looks like someone shit on it through a sieve!” Rachel shouted at her during an argument, because his mother had freckles.
Ben had invited me to read his book, as a fellow Sydneysider, I welcomed the opportunity. I do not regret it at all, thanks Ben, well done indeed.
December 9, 2021
This is not the kind of book I usually read, but I'm glad I did, and thankful to the author for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. The book is comprised of several short stories, which makes it very easy to read. Through these stories we learn about life, family, love... All the most important things are reflected here, in an honest way and with an intimate language that makes the reader identify easily with the characters. My personal favorite is the last one, "Waiting", a very tough story about, well, death and waiting (don't want to spoil it). It's a book that makes you feel, and makes you think about your priorities and way of life. Characters are well designed, and dialogues are realistic so, all in all an entertaining and well written book, and I say again thanks to Ben Sharafski for writing it and for sending me this free copy. I've enjoyed it very much.
December 21, 2021
Review to come in the New Year on holidays from today.
A well written book with so much historical reference and one that deals with a number of important themes including death, love, loss and survival in six short stories as the narrator returns home to care for his dying mother.
A well written book with so much historical reference and one that deals with a number of important themes including death, love, loss and survival in six short stories as the narrator returns home to care for his dying mother.
January 12, 2023
I knew that my mother wanted me to come back to live in Israel. Yet I couldn't resign myself to spending my only lifetime in that country, immersing myself in its ancient blood feud, embracing its people's heartfelt sense of self-righteousness victimhood laced with aggression, and entering its breathless rat-race of feverish competition and constant one-upmanship. (PGS. 102-103)
I apologize to the author, Ben Sharafski, for taking so long to read this amazing novel. He was kind enough to gift it to me last year but you know how it is as a reader; there's 100 in front of the latest one. His kindness has no bearing on my star rating. It was a fantastic read.
The best word to describe this novel::: Enthralled. I was in a reading funk. Good books but not very much into them until this landed in my hands. The funk is officially gone.
There were six short stories and I wanted none of them to end. They were so well-written and heartbreaking in its honesty. And to top it off each short story had history to its pertaining country. Sharafski is Jewish and I have learned more about Israel and Jewish history from him than I have ever heard anyone speak about. Utterly and beautifully honest is the best way to describe 'Returning to Carthage.' I always enjoy talking to people that are proud of their heritage but I also love when they are honest about it. I am Mexican and was born into Catholicism but I can joke about being Mexican and do a few priest jokes. Some people use words against you when you might have a curiosity or question so I tend to hold back. No one culture is perfect and to learn about culture one has to teach and talk about their experiences and know their past while embracing the future. I love learning about religions and culture so thank you Ben for teaching us and letting us peak into the window.
Waiting was my favorite short story. He goes back to Israel to help his mother go to and from the hospital knowing she is dying from cancer. It was so sad and very deep.
I really and truly recommend this novel. It's short and sweet and it'll give you many emotions while learning something. Wonderful debut.
I apologize to the author, Ben Sharafski, for taking so long to read this amazing novel. He was kind enough to gift it to me last year but you know how it is as a reader; there's 100 in front of the latest one. His kindness has no bearing on my star rating. It was a fantastic read.
The best word to describe this novel::: Enthralled. I was in a reading funk. Good books but not very much into them until this landed in my hands. The funk is officially gone.
There were six short stories and I wanted none of them to end. They were so well-written and heartbreaking in its honesty. And to top it off each short story had history to its pertaining country. Sharafski is Jewish and I have learned more about Israel and Jewish history from him than I have ever heard anyone speak about. Utterly and beautifully honest is the best way to describe 'Returning to Carthage.' I always enjoy talking to people that are proud of their heritage but I also love when they are honest about it. I am Mexican and was born into Catholicism but I can joke about being Mexican and do a few priest jokes. Some people use words against you when you might have a curiosity or question so I tend to hold back. No one culture is perfect and to learn about culture one has to teach and talk about their experiences and know their past while embracing the future. I love learning about religions and culture so thank you Ben for teaching us and letting us peak into the window.
Waiting was my favorite short story. He goes back to Israel to help his mother go to and from the hospital knowing she is dying from cancer. It was so sad and very deep.
I really and truly recommend this novel. It's short and sweet and it'll give you many emotions while learning something. Wonderful debut.
April 25, 2022
Returning to Carthage is the story of the unnamed protagonist, following him from his youth and his first girlfriends, through his marriage and the birth of his children, to the death of his mother. As such, it spans the whole of the human condition, with all its ugliness, love and tenderness and challenges in between.
The first chapter - or short story if you want - tells us about his travelling to Laos, where he is confronted with the greediness of man, but also his own. This was my favorite part and it reminded me somewhat of Plateforme, but in a much more milder fashion. As I have traveled a few times to South-East Asia, I was transported back to the sounds, the smells and the feeling of the heat and humidity. It really felt like a trip back there, so wonderfully the scene was rendered.
At first glance the storyteller is quite likable, but just like all of us he has his flaws and a certain disdain towards women certainly forms a part of him. If I can construct the puzzled timeline correctly, he has a girlfriend that has met his parents - which means it is certainly not his second date. Then a fiancee - whose father helps him with his professional aspirations- whom he cheats on in Laos. The relation he has with the woman he dates in Laos is also not harm free. Then he marries someone else, but keeping his eye on other women still. All this is subdued, not really spelled out as important parts in the story, but adding to the shiftiness of the character. Through his own son, we also see that he might have some mental issues in the possibility of being on the spectrum.
Then the last chapter details the last weeks of his dying mother, and having been through it myself, I can say it depicts perfectly how an adult child can feel in these troubled times: a to and fro between the ominous and irrevocable event that is unfolding, and on the other hand the daily chores, the medication, the bureaucracy and the surrounding network that seem too mundane to match the enormity of the unfolding event.
All in all, a beautiful tapestry of love, loss, guilt and the whole spectrum of human emotions, throughout history and over a large number of settings all over the world. Bravo !
A heartfelt thank you to the author Ben Sharafski, for a complimentary copy.
The first chapter - or short story if you want - tells us about his travelling to Laos, where he is confronted with the greediness of man, but also his own. This was my favorite part and it reminded me somewhat of Plateforme, but in a much more milder fashion. As I have traveled a few times to South-East Asia, I was transported back to the sounds, the smells and the feeling of the heat and humidity. It really felt like a trip back there, so wonderfully the scene was rendered.
At first glance the storyteller is quite likable, but just like all of us he has his flaws and a certain disdain towards women certainly forms a part of him. If I can construct the puzzled timeline correctly, he has a girlfriend that has met his parents - which means it is certainly not his second date. Then a fiancee - whose father helps him with his professional aspirations- whom he cheats on in Laos. The relation he has with the woman he dates in Laos is also not harm free. Then he marries someone else, but keeping his eye on other women still. All this is subdued, not really spelled out as important parts in the story, but adding to the shiftiness of the character. Through his own son, we also see that he might have some mental issues in the possibility of being on the spectrum.
Then the last chapter details the last weeks of his dying mother, and having been through it myself, I can say it depicts perfectly how an adult child can feel in these troubled times: a to and fro between the ominous and irrevocable event that is unfolding, and on the other hand the daily chores, the medication, the bureaucracy and the surrounding network that seem too mundane to match the enormity of the unfolding event.
All in all, a beautiful tapestry of love, loss, guilt and the whole spectrum of human emotions, throughout history and over a large number of settings all over the world. Bravo !
A heartfelt thank you to the author Ben Sharafski, for a complimentary copy.
January 26, 2022
Returning to Carthage by Ben Sharafski is a collection of interconnected short stories featuring the same protagonist ( and narrator, in this case ), a man who though originally from Israel is now settled in Australia with his family. We also meet Naoko, his wife who is Japanese and his two children – his daughter, Sophie and his son, Daniel. Though not in perfect chronological order, these stories are set during different stages and social situations of the man’s life and we are given a window into his thoughts, perceptions and reactions towards the people and events described.
In the first story ‘Love and Loss in Laos,’ the protagonist reflects on his own deception and infidelity all the while being critical of swindlers who are out to take advantage of tourists like himself in Laos.In 'Returning to Carthage’, we see the narrator’s fascination with an ancient Carthaginian coin he purchases over the internet. While he ponders over the tumultuous history of the ancient city Carthage he is also plagued by worries about the safety of his wife and child during their upcoming trip to Israel on account of the volatile political scenario in the region. In ‘On Childcare and the Human Condition’ the narrator, now a parent attempts to answer questions about life and death posed by his young inquisitive daughter. ‘Annabelle’ is a cryptic look at relationships and the struggle between compromise and temptation.
Among the six stories in this collection, one of my favorites was ‘Two Lives, Intersected’ that take us back to the family history of the narrator and that of his wife’. We meet the narrator’s grandfather and Naoko’s grandmother, who though hailing from different parts of the world, remains impacted by the trauma of their younger lives brought upon by war, abandonment and the struggle to survive and how seemingly innocent words triggers and brings back a flood of memories and feelings that one cannot escape. ‘Waiting’, the final story in the collection was particularly heart-wrenching with the narrator traveling to Israel to be with his mother, during her final days. The narrator watches helplessly as his mother gradually succumbs to cancer. He can do nothing for her but arrange for palliative care and wait for the inevitable. He is unable to express his emotions for his mother while witnessing members of his family and friends whose gestures of affection towards his mother seem to come so easily to them.
The narrative is enriched by the protagonist’s references to his travels spanning continents (Laos, the Philippines, India and of course, his country of origin, Israel and his adopted country, Australia) and how those places and events have left a mark on his psyche and perceptions towards, love , life and relationships. The stories touch upon themes of love and fidelity, mortality, family history and trauma and its impact across generations and continents, parenting and responsibility towards the ones who depend on us. While I won’t say that I loved all the stories equally (short story collections are always a mixed bag!), I have to admit that the narrative did hold my attention till the very end. The emotions and reactions described in these stories are real and relatable and the simple elegance of the prose renders this a thought-provoking and engaging read.
Thanks to the author for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
In the first story ‘Love and Loss in Laos,’ the protagonist reflects on his own deception and infidelity all the while being critical of swindlers who are out to take advantage of tourists like himself in Laos.In 'Returning to Carthage’, we see the narrator’s fascination with an ancient Carthaginian coin he purchases over the internet. While he ponders over the tumultuous history of the ancient city Carthage he is also plagued by worries about the safety of his wife and child during their upcoming trip to Israel on account of the volatile political scenario in the region. In ‘On Childcare and the Human Condition’ the narrator, now a parent attempts to answer questions about life and death posed by his young inquisitive daughter. ‘Annabelle’ is a cryptic look at relationships and the struggle between compromise and temptation.
Among the six stories in this collection, one of my favorites was ‘Two Lives, Intersected’ that take us back to the family history of the narrator and that of his wife’. We meet the narrator’s grandfather and Naoko’s grandmother, who though hailing from different parts of the world, remains impacted by the trauma of their younger lives brought upon by war, abandonment and the struggle to survive and how seemingly innocent words triggers and brings back a flood of memories and feelings that one cannot escape. ‘Waiting’, the final story in the collection was particularly heart-wrenching with the narrator traveling to Israel to be with his mother, during her final days. The narrator watches helplessly as his mother gradually succumbs to cancer. He can do nothing for her but arrange for palliative care and wait for the inevitable. He is unable to express his emotions for his mother while witnessing members of his family and friends whose gestures of affection towards his mother seem to come so easily to them.
The narrative is enriched by the protagonist’s references to his travels spanning continents (Laos, the Philippines, India and of course, his country of origin, Israel and his adopted country, Australia) and how those places and events have left a mark on his psyche and perceptions towards, love , life and relationships. The stories touch upon themes of love and fidelity, mortality, family history and trauma and its impact across generations and continents, parenting and responsibility towards the ones who depend on us. While I won’t say that I loved all the stories equally (short story collections are always a mixed bag!), I have to admit that the narrative did hold my attention till the very end. The emotions and reactions described in these stories are real and relatable and the simple elegance of the prose renders this a thought-provoking and engaging read.
Thanks to the author for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
November 28, 2021
Author Ben Sharafski sent me an email asking if I would accept a link to his book, ‘Returning to Carthage’. I was hesitant - first concern, spam or malware? second concern, what if I don’t like it? I knew nothing about Sharafski except what I saw when I looked up his Goodreads profile.
The book, a collection of short stories linked by a narrator in a succession of important events reflecting the passing of years in his life, is well-written, engrossing and honest. The narrator begins with a life-changing vacation to Laos before his upcoming marriage in the first story, and then in the next story tells of his marriage with apparently a different woman and the somewhat fraught meeting with her mother. The succeeding stories are about the births of his two children and the mixed feelings of being a father and husband. The last and longest story is about taking care of his mother in Israel. Each is standalone.
I loved the stories. They were beguiling even when the narrator was not being his best self. The attractiveness of the tale was often because he was not being wise or a good person but instead he was so very human. The narrator appears to be looking at those sudden stops in his life journey where he sees his vulnerabilities for the first time hidden under a patina he didn’t know was there.
Autobiographical? I don’t know for sure since they are written as a series of well-plotted short stories instead of the usual autobiography. But each story was obviously about the same narrator and the story was about an event a few years after the previous short story. In any case, I enjoyed the book and I recommend it. It is not simply entertaining. The book is revelatory.
The book, a collection of short stories linked by a narrator in a succession of important events reflecting the passing of years in his life, is well-written, engrossing and honest. The narrator begins with a life-changing vacation to Laos before his upcoming marriage in the first story, and then in the next story tells of his marriage with apparently a different woman and the somewhat fraught meeting with her mother. The succeeding stories are about the births of his two children and the mixed feelings of being a father and husband. The last and longest story is about taking care of his mother in Israel. Each is standalone.
I loved the stories. They were beguiling even when the narrator was not being his best self. The attractiveness of the tale was often because he was not being wise or a good person but instead he was so very human. The narrator appears to be looking at those sudden stops in his life journey where he sees his vulnerabilities for the first time hidden under a patina he didn’t know was there.
Autobiographical? I don’t know for sure since they are written as a series of well-plotted short stories instead of the usual autobiography. But each story was obviously about the same narrator and the story was about an event a few years after the previous short story. In any case, I enjoyed the book and I recommend it. It is not simply entertaining. The book is revelatory.
November 15, 2021
DISCLAIMER: The author was so kind to send me a printed copy of his book for review. The opinions are entirely my own.
Ben Sharafski’s book features six short stories, all of them told by (probably) the same first person narrator at different stages of his life and all of them written in a tessellated way. Each story covers a certain period of time and one frame topic, but shows a caleidoscope of topics within this frame with not necessarily an obvious connection. What is always obvious, though, is that the stories are one way or the other about interpersonal relations.
As always in short story collections not all stories are appealing in the same extent to the reader. My favourites here were the first and the last story.
In the first story Love and Lies in Laos we meet a young man who is planning to get married the following year travelling alone to Laos for a vacation. There he meets a very attractive Laotian woman and learns eventually, that he can’t escape the consequences for his actions. Someone has to pay for them, and if not himself, the responsibility will still be on him.
It’s a slow and not very eventful story, but I found it very pleasant to read and was really interested in how it would develop.
In the last story Waiting (probably) the same man, middle aged now, travels from Australia to Israel to visit his terminally ill mother. On the journey the man recalls a lot of memories of his mother.
The mother has terminal cancer and her son stays with her and takes care of her the last weeks of her life. This time with little activity (they more or less do nothing but going to the hospital for treatment and back home again) gives him the chance to analyze his relationship with his mother and to realize his feelings for her. I found this story very touching and it moved me.
What baffles me was the protagonist’s view on women throughout all of the stories. It seemed a bit emotionally immature to me. On the other hand it is mentioned that the protagonist shows at least slight touches in the autism spectrum, so this might be the reason also.
So altogether this is not a bad first book and I enjoyed reading it.
In other words, I liked the book with a strong tendency to really liking it, i.e. 3.7 stars, upgraded to 4.
Ben Sharafski’s book features six short stories, all of them told by (probably) the same first person narrator at different stages of his life and all of them written in a tessellated way. Each story covers a certain period of time and one frame topic, but shows a caleidoscope of topics within this frame with not necessarily an obvious connection. What is always obvious, though, is that the stories are one way or the other about interpersonal relations.
As always in short story collections not all stories are appealing in the same extent to the reader. My favourites here were the first and the last story.
In the first story Love and Lies in Laos we meet a young man who is planning to get married the following year travelling alone to Laos for a vacation. There he meets a very attractive Laotian woman and learns eventually, that he can’t escape the consequences for his actions. Someone has to pay for them, and if not himself, the responsibility will still be on him.
It’s a slow and not very eventful story, but I found it very pleasant to read and was really interested in how it would develop.
In the last story Waiting (probably) the same man, middle aged now, travels from Australia to Israel to visit his terminally ill mother. On the journey the man recalls a lot of memories of his mother.
The mother has terminal cancer and her son stays with her and takes care of her the last weeks of her life. This time with little activity (they more or less do nothing but going to the hospital for treatment and back home again) gives him the chance to analyze his relationship with his mother and to realize his feelings for her. I found this story very touching and it moved me.
What baffles me was the protagonist’s view on women throughout all of the stories. It seemed a bit emotionally immature to me. On the other hand it is mentioned that the protagonist shows at least slight touches in the autism spectrum, so this might be the reason also.
So altogether this is not a bad first book and I enjoyed reading it.
In other words, I liked the book with a strong tendency to really liking it, i.e. 3.7 stars, upgraded to 4.
December 13, 2021
Life is inherently uncertain; the only thing to anchor us is those we love.
I enjoyed these six linked short stories that explore mileposts along the unnamed narrator's emotional journey through life as they follow his travels across the globe, with settings including Laos, Australia, and Israel.
The dreamy pleasure of a passionate fling on a holiday is disrupted as he suddenly understands the consequences of his actions and realizes his own capacity for deception. Family members with vastly different personal histories misunderstand each other and clash at his mixed-race wedding. Collecting ancient coins provides a comforting sense of permanence and legacy to offset the fear of mortality he experiences after the birth of his first child. This daughter takes the death of her tropical fish in stride, but he's shaken. As a tangential result of an effort to help his nerdy son make a friend, lust and deceit return to his middle age life in a Sydney suburb.
The last, longest, and my favorite, story is "Waiting", a heart-wrenching account of his return from Australia to Tel Aviv to care for his dying mother, filled with telling detail about draining daily clinic visits, test results, her physical deterioration, and the strain of being the gatekeeper and go-between with family and friends.
I was sometimes reminded of Sightseeing, a short story collection by Thai-American writer Rattawut Lapcharoensap, that I read last year, and I recommend both.
I thank the author for providing a print copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed these six linked short stories that explore mileposts along the unnamed narrator's emotional journey through life as they follow his travels across the globe, with settings including Laos, Australia, and Israel.
The dreamy pleasure of a passionate fling on a holiday is disrupted as he suddenly understands the consequences of his actions and realizes his own capacity for deception. Family members with vastly different personal histories misunderstand each other and clash at his mixed-race wedding. Collecting ancient coins provides a comforting sense of permanence and legacy to offset the fear of mortality he experiences after the birth of his first child. This daughter takes the death of her tropical fish in stride, but he's shaken. As a tangential result of an effort to help his nerdy son make a friend, lust and deceit return to his middle age life in a Sydney suburb.
The last, longest, and my favorite, story is "Waiting", a heart-wrenching account of his return from Australia to Tel Aviv to care for his dying mother, filled with telling detail about draining daily clinic visits, test results, her physical deterioration, and the strain of being the gatekeeper and go-between with family and friends.
I was sometimes reminded of Sightseeing, a short story collection by Thai-American writer Rattawut Lapcharoensap, that I read last year, and I recommend both.
I thank the author for providing a print copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
April 4, 2023
The trials and tribulations of multicultural life come to the fore in this book of seemingly semi-autobiographical, six interrelated short stories.
The last story Waiting was a standout for me, as it was easily relatable to my parent's passing.
I read GR friend Nat K’s review of this book a while back and have reread it just after finishing this book. Nat has covered my thoughts in his excellent summation, and I recommend both the book and Nat’s review.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The last story Waiting was a standout for me, as it was easily relatable to my parent's passing.
I read GR friend Nat K’s review of this book a while back and have reread it just after finishing this book. Nat has covered my thoughts in his excellent summation, and I recommend both the book and Nat’s review.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
December 17, 2021
The depiction of parenting, children and the reflexion on mortality were by far my favorite part and the highlights of this novel. There is rawness in Sharafski’s writing on these topics, his voice is sincere, introspective and it made the book very quick to read, as I wanted to see what was next. I could imagine a whole book going a bit further, as it seems that the author is comfortable and very effective on these subjects.
The first story was a bit below in quality compared to the rest, I do believe it brings downs the book a little. As the stories are interconnected by the same narrator between different times of his life, I can imagine that in the first part we find him at a very immature mindset, which might explain why the writing and general atmosphere of the first story seems so detached from the rest. The last story is heartbreaking, but again on the realistic side. It made me reflect quite a lot, I still do a few days later.
I finished Returning to Carthage in one seating! I really recommend this book for anyone who like short stories. Thanks a lot Ben for gifting me a copy of your book.
The first story was a bit below in quality compared to the rest, I do believe it brings downs the book a little. As the stories are interconnected by the same narrator between different times of his life, I can imagine that in the first part we find him at a very immature mindset, which might explain why the writing and general atmosphere of the first story seems so detached from the rest. The last story is heartbreaking, but again on the realistic side. It made me reflect quite a lot, I still do a few days later.
I finished Returning to Carthage in one seating! I really recommend this book for anyone who like short stories. Thanks a lot Ben for gifting me a copy of your book.
August 27, 2021
This book is an interconnecting series of short stories with the same narrator/central character.
Through the book we see the narrator grow as he discovers love and his family comes to fruition. There are themes of Asian as well as Israeli culture throughout.
I enjoyed the historical and cultural elements of the stories and found them quite enlightening.
The last and longest story 'Waiting' really struck a chord with me as I looked after my mother-in-law in the terminal stages of her cancer and the author has captured the roller-coaster of despair and hope as well as love and horror that are heightened during this time. In this final story the central character travels from Sydney to Tel Aviv to spend time with his dying mother.
I am not sure if the stories are fictional or autobiographical, but there is a lot of humanity packed into the pages.
Thank you Ben Sharafski for offering me the opportunity to read your book. I really enjoyed it and am happy to recommend it.
Through the book we see the narrator grow as he discovers love and his family comes to fruition. There are themes of Asian as well as Israeli culture throughout.
I enjoyed the historical and cultural elements of the stories and found them quite enlightening.
The last and longest story 'Waiting' really struck a chord with me as I looked after my mother-in-law in the terminal stages of her cancer and the author has captured the roller-coaster of despair and hope as well as love and horror that are heightened during this time. In this final story the central character travels from Sydney to Tel Aviv to spend time with his dying mother.
I am not sure if the stories are fictional or autobiographical, but there is a lot of humanity packed into the pages.
Thank you Ben Sharafski for offering me the opportunity to read your book. I really enjoyed it and am happy to recommend it.
April 3, 2022
3.5
Life is inherently uncertain; the only thing to anchor us is those we love.
Returning to Carthage is a collection of six intertwined stories about one man, his remembrances of things past and his forebodings about the future.
This is a sincere and profound cultural journey through time, contemplating love, family, loss, life and death.
Thanks to the author for providing a copy of his book in return for an honest review.
Life is inherently uncertain; the only thing to anchor us is those we love.
Returning to Carthage is a collection of six intertwined stories about one man, his remembrances of things past and his forebodings about the future.
This is a sincere and profound cultural journey through time, contemplating love, family, loss, life and death.
Thanks to the author for providing a copy of his book in return for an honest review.
March 4, 2022
This collection of stories was offered to me by the author @ben_sharafski_2021 for reviewing and though I had already promised myself never to agree to such offers, something made me feel I was going to like it.
The book contains six stories, united by the figure of the protagonist and motifs of love, loss and a deep connection to one’s historical roots. The stories can be read as separate works, I think, but they are certainly enriched by one another when read together.
We first meet the protagonist on a trip to Laos, where he is taken in by the enterprising locals. Thinking this to be a fair fee for a whiff of local flavour, he himself chooses the crooked path of deceit, setting the reader’s attitude to him for the whole collection. At first though, I was ready to forgive the protagonist his faults in the strange and exotic surroundings, but this feeling whose seed the author sows in the very first story, becomes one of the motifs of the whole collection. The protagonist is deeply flawed, and though he builds meaningful relationships based on love and trust, to the reader it is all tarnished by what we know about him. And the feeling of the underlying conflict in the protagonist’s soul is always there.
He is ever looking for something solid to stand on, and manages to find it in his infatuation with historical artefacts: coins, art, history, not necessarily his own. He is fascinated by the story of his wife’s family; entranced by his own nebulous connection to the people of Carthage; more than intrigued by his neighbours’ family secrets. As if struggling to preserve his own balance, he is somewhat consoled by the turbulence of other people’s lives and their ability to grow through it.
The collection seemed a bit uneven for me: parts of the title story felt tedious, as if reading an encyclopaedia entry assigned to me by a boring teacher; parts of “Annabelle” were totally intriguing; and when in came to landscapes and cityscapes, I was enraptured by the beauty and precision of the autor’s language.
But the highest point of it all was the closing story, “Waiting”. The heartbreaking experience of waiting for his mother’s death of cancer robs the protagonist of his will to go on, crushes all his aspirations, and makes him reassemble his life anew. It resonates with a book I have read recently about the same sort of a loss, written by Oksana Vasyakina, and I could compare the two accounts, both very personal and painful, devastating and cleansing.
What I was reading the collection, I was mildly interested, but when I reached “Waiting”, I was totally impressed. Congratulations to the author for bringing such a wonderfully heartbreaking peace of prose for the world to read!
The book contains six stories, united by the figure of the protagonist and motifs of love, loss and a deep connection to one’s historical roots. The stories can be read as separate works, I think, but they are certainly enriched by one another when read together.
We first meet the protagonist on a trip to Laos, where he is taken in by the enterprising locals. Thinking this to be a fair fee for a whiff of local flavour, he himself chooses the crooked path of deceit, setting the reader’s attitude to him for the whole collection. At first though, I was ready to forgive the protagonist his faults in the strange and exotic surroundings, but this feeling whose seed the author sows in the very first story, becomes one of the motifs of the whole collection. The protagonist is deeply flawed, and though he builds meaningful relationships based on love and trust, to the reader it is all tarnished by what we know about him. And the feeling of the underlying conflict in the protagonist’s soul is always there.
He is ever looking for something solid to stand on, and manages to find it in his infatuation with historical artefacts: coins, art, history, not necessarily his own. He is fascinated by the story of his wife’s family; entranced by his own nebulous connection to the people of Carthage; more than intrigued by his neighbours’ family secrets. As if struggling to preserve his own balance, he is somewhat consoled by the turbulence of other people’s lives and their ability to grow through it.
The collection seemed a bit uneven for me: parts of the title story felt tedious, as if reading an encyclopaedia entry assigned to me by a boring teacher; parts of “Annabelle” were totally intriguing; and when in came to landscapes and cityscapes, I was enraptured by the beauty and precision of the autor’s language.
But the highest point of it all was the closing story, “Waiting”. The heartbreaking experience of waiting for his mother’s death of cancer robs the protagonist of his will to go on, crushes all his aspirations, and makes him reassemble his life anew. It resonates with a book I have read recently about the same sort of a loss, written by Oksana Vasyakina, and I could compare the two accounts, both very personal and painful, devastating and cleansing.
What I was reading the collection, I was mildly interested, but when I reached “Waiting”, I was totally impressed. Congratulations to the author for bringing such a wonderfully heartbreaking peace of prose for the world to read!
February 4, 2022
5 stars for the writing and 5 stars for the last story.
The author approached me offering a free copy but I decided to purchase the book instead.
I had no expectations when I purchased this book. I was happy just looking at its cover.
Well, what a delightful surprise.
This is a compilation of 6 short stories that are linked (I guess that we can call it an anthology).
The writing is simply terrific. I was hooked on his style.
The stories are about day to day life, especially about family and relationships.
We get glimpses of different cultures and some history passages that I thought was skillfully inserted.
I loved the first story, which in my opinion was more about lust rather than love, but my favorite was the last story, which was heartbreaking and so well structured.
I wonder if this is a work of fiction, because it felt like a personal journal.
It is definitely full of heart.
The author approached me offering a free copy but I decided to purchase the book instead.
I had no expectations when I purchased this book. I was happy just looking at its cover.
Well, what a delightful surprise.
This is a compilation of 6 short stories that are linked (I guess that we can call it an anthology).
The writing is simply terrific. I was hooked on his style.
The stories are about day to day life, especially about family and relationships.
We get glimpses of different cultures and some history passages that I thought was skillfully inserted.
I loved the first story, which in my opinion was more about lust rather than love, but my favorite was the last story, which was heartbreaking and so well structured.
I wonder if this is a work of fiction, because it felt like a personal journal.
It is definitely full of heart.
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