Tension mounts as the French prepare to elect their first Arab president…This novel arrives in English with a tall reputation from France,where it was published in 2011 and was an instant bestseller. It won nearly unanimous compliment from the French press and feverish, whether unlikely, and comparisons with Philip Roth,Zadie Smith and Elena Ferrante. TV rights were sold and literary prizes have been won. This phenomenon was all the more astounding given that, when all of this happened, or Louatah was still in his late 20s,a nobody from the gritty town of Saint-Etienne, addicted to American cop shows, and in every sense at a far remove from the Parisian literary world.
The central premise is that France is about to elect its first president of Arab (Algerian) origin. Idder Chaouch – nicknamed the “French Obama” by the American press – is meant to heal the old wounds of race and religion in France with a new,liberal and inclusive government. He is charismatic and mischievous, a graduate of the elite Ecole National d’Administration who speaks fluent English; he is also aware that a dangerously large section of the French population wants to assassinate him. In the run-up to the final vote tension builds as the possibility of a terrorist attack – most probably from an Islamist group – grows ever closer.
Continue reading...
Source: guardian.co.uk