A story in praise of a woman, a fighter, a survivor from the award-winning French-Moroccan novelist known for humanizing North Africas otherwise marginalized charactersprostitutes and thieves, trans and gay people in a world where being LGBTQ+ can be a dangerous act.

Shortlisted for the prestigious Prix Goncourt in 2022.

Three moments in the life of Malika, a Moroccan countrywoman. From 1954 to 1999. From French colonization to the death of King Hassan II.

It is her voice we hear in Abdellah Taas stunning new novel, translated by Emma Ramadan, who won the PEN Translation Prize for her translation of Taias last novel, A Country for Dying.

Malikas first husband was sent by the French to fight in Indochina.

In the 1960s, in Rabat, she does everything possible to prevent her daughter Khadija from becoming a maid in a rich French womans villa.

The day before the death of Hassan II, a young homosexual thief, Jafar, enters her home and wants to kill her.

Malika recounts with rage her strategies to escape the injustices of History. To survive. To have a little space of her own.

Malika is Taas mother: M’Barka Allali Taa (1930-2010). This book is dedicated to her.

Paperback | 144 pages | 5.49″ x 8.24″