Ben Jelloun, Tahar

A masterly and important evocation of brutal political repression.

 

Richly embroidered, perhaps slow-going at times, this novel allows readers to sink in; readers might recall the marital relationship in Lauren Groff's Fates and Furies.

IMPAC Award winner Ben Jelloun (This Blinding Absence of Light) here uses poignant examples to explore the cultural/language divide, with one character eventually concluding, "Over there our values are nothing"—a lament sung lyrically throughout. Beautifully and concisely written and well translated, this novel is a superb addition to the genre of "exile literature."