Youssef El-Mekki is a nineteen-year-old Muslim university student living with his mother in the slums of Casablanca. He had been told that his father had died many years ago, but he discovers that this is not true. His father is successful businessman Nabil Amrani, who has a wife and daughter, and lives in the elite part of Casablanca. Youssef turns his back on his life in the slums and lives in his father’s penthouse apartment. Abruptly, after some months, his father cuts off contact, and Youssef returns to his home, and in his disillusionment, takes up with “the Party”, a fringe Islamic group.

“A life of dignity was in the realm of the imaginary.”

• Glanceabook: “This book has a very readable writing style that captures a realistic picture of two sides of life in Casablanca, the slums where Youssef lives with his mother, and the elite suburbs of the rich. However, the last part dealing with Youssef’s part in a terrorist act feels too rushed, and the ending abrupt.”
• Kirkus: “An absorbing tale that, alas, ends too abruptly.
• Publishers Weekly: “Unfortunately, Lalami riddles the book with uninspired descriptions and observations; Youssef and Nabil are less than distinctive; and the climax lacks impact. It all seems perfunctory.”

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