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Infidels
Infidels | Abdellah Taïa
3 posts | 3 read | 2 to read
Set in Sale, Morocco the hometown Abdellah Taia fled but to which he returns again and again in his acclaimed fiction and films "Infidels" follows the life of Jallal, the son of a prostitute witch doctor "a woman who knew men, humanity, better than anyone. In sex. Beyond sex." As a ten-year-old sidekick to his mother, Jallal spits in the face of her enemies both real and imagined. The cast of characters that rush into their lives are unforgettable for their dreams of love and belonging that unravel in turn. Built as a series of monologues that are emotionally relentless a mix of confession, heart's murmuring, and shouting match the book follows Jallal out of boyhood on the path to Jihad. It's a path that surprises even him."
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review
rachelm
Infidels | Abdellah Taïa
Mehso-so

First book completed for #bookishOlympics and it was taut and lyrical, but I just couldn't get into it at some points, probably because of the multiple story threads from multiple narrators in such a short space.
Still, it's an interesting read and reminds me of Colm Tobin's Testament of Mary (and I was unsurprised to see he blurbs for Infidels on the back cover!)

blurb
rachelm
Infidels | Abdellah Taïa
post image

My TBR stack... Optimistically to finish in this last sip of summer before I go back to the world of red pens and college essays, but that might be too ambitious.

Chessa Ok, so did you put the Leisure stickers on them or is that a library thing? I've never seen that before! 8y
Suzze @Chessa And if it is a library thing, wonder what other labels they use? 8y
Chessa @Suzze Yes, exactly! Super curious about this taxonomy! 8y
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rachelm @Chessa @Suzze it's a library thing! They're from my university library-- I'm getting all of the great new fiction before my students get on campus. I'll have to go scope out other labels..."Leisure" versus "science", I suppose. Hilarious, no? 8y
Chessa I just find it hilarious that the library is deciding what is leisure for people. Like, wouldn't science be leisure reading for some? It sounds like code for "not related to your coursework in any way." ? 8y
rachelm @Chessa absolutely! Maybe it's a tax thing? We're a state university, so obviously we have to label books that can't possibly teach us things because they are fiction or nonfiction by someone in the liberal arts... 🙃 8y
Chessa I know, right?! You can learn something from anything, IMHO, so the leisure category chafes! 😂📚â¤ï¸ 8y
Suzze @rachelm Really weird. I wonder if it is a tax thing, or a grant thing. No matter what, like @Chessa says, who decides what is a "leisure" read? 8y
24 likes8 comments
review
JosephAmodeo
Infidels | Abdellah Taïa
Mehso-so

A very interesting and, at times, disturbing novel that offers a unique glimpse into a troubled young man who takes an unlikely path to becoming a terrorist.