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John A. Bonello:
Jien, Wieħed Minnhom
Merlin Publishers, 2015.

Some books have the ability to suddenly make you look at a genre in a different way. Jien, Wieħed Minnhom by John A. Bonello, throws us deep into the action of an episode that started in his previous book Fil-Mergħat tal-Impossibli. We are intimately thrust into the main character’s thoughts as he introduces himself to us, and we start to understand what kind of story we have begun to read.

Steve Ebejer is a ‘Serafin’, a person with the gift to time-travel with little or no control of his circumstance, with the aim of righting wrongs. He is sent to the future to a planet Earth, which has suffered changes, and then back to the present, where he lives with his wife and children. His travels take him to the year 2056 where he is able to mentally invade other people’s thoughts to learn their thoughts and to find out why he has been sent there. He also uses this ability to alter their actions.

Together with others of his kind, he is trying to understand his duty as a ‘Serafin’, and the answer isn’t altogether straightforward.

Ebejer’s thoughts are, at first, confused, and it seems that we are in the front row seat on his journey of discovery, as we learn with him what the details of his powers entail. We see hints and pieces of the puzzle, that later make more sense. At the heart of it all, this is a family man who needs to face unusual situations on unfamiliar ground, all of which require an enormous amount of courage. We sweat and swear with him as the pages turn. Fil-konfużjoni sibt lili nnifsi. Fil-kaos bdejt naqta’ l-għatx għall-għarfien.

When Bonello started writing this story, the initial intention behind the series titled Unus Mundus was to complete his idea in one book. In this second book, we see why the main character needed time to evolve and that we needed time to get to know him.

Having said that, Jien, Wieħed Minnhom, the second and final book of this series, can be appreciated even as a standalone. The reader can easily connect the dots of what happened in the previous book, as Ebejer’s thoughts and philosophies help him (and us) make sense of the situation. Bonello makes a clear exhibition of his linguistic powers, using Maltese and English, and dipping often into a poetic style of prose. This play with words has the power to change the mood of the reader, with a few moments of comic relief thrown in effectively.

And, I suspect, the reader is able to gain insight as our character’s voice changes too, by the means of a slight change in writing style, as he is enlightened and discovers the details of his mission.

This play with words has the power to change the mood of the reader with a few moments of comic relief thrown in effectively

Some sentences made me laugh out loud with patriotic pride, with their decidedly Maltese ‘inside joke’ feel. Above all, Steve’s introspection is a pleasure to read, and by the end of the book Steve is an old friend, he is all too human.

The scenarios that unfold are uncomfortably real, especially considering that some of us might get to live to the year 2056. And, given the current turmoil that is going on in real life on our planet, you cannot help but realise, ‘Wait a minute, this could actually happen!’

Bonello deftly navigates the reader through the leaps in time (a clarity belied by the cluttered cover), producing a stellar page-turner that you read with your heart in your throat.

The author’s latest adventure is that of blogging micro-fiction, with posts under the title of Transmissions. Unlike his usually printed books, Bonello is currently writing in English and I’m sure that he already has his fans on their toes

Speaking of which, Bonello has definitely found himself a new fan with this book that can hardly be pigeon-holed. With lines like this, you find yourself putting the brakes on, not quite wanting to reach the end. Moħħu qisu ħuġġieġa bla kontroll ġo foresta niexfa, ħsibijietu qishom l-ilsna tan-nar mitmugħin mill-ħatab tas-siġar nexfin, nar li faċli jinfirex ‘l hemm jew ‘l hawn.

The conclusion – an epilogue that smugly (and I mean that in the best way possible) wraps the story up in an epic way. You’re in for a treat. The style changes once again, into a highly poetic prose that is almost transcendental in nature.

As you close the book, you may feel like something right has happened, something that was always meant to happen, and then you’ll get back to your life thinking you have a secret to keep.

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