Secret Son

Secret Son

by Laila Lalami (Author)

Synopsis

When a young man is given the chance to rewrite his future, he doesn't realize the price he will pay for giving up his past...Casablanca's stinking alleys are the only home that nineteen-year-old Youssef El-Mekki has ever known. Raised by his mother in a one-room home, the film stars flickering on the local cinema's screen offer the only glimmer of hope to his frustrated dreams of escape. Until, that is, the father he thought dead turns out to be very much alive. A high profile businessman with wealth to burn, Nabil is disenchanted with his daughter and eager to take in the boy he never knew. Soon Youssef is installed in his penthouse and sampling the gold-plated luxuries enjoyed by Casablanca's elite. But as he leaves the slums of his childhood behind him, he comes up against a starkly un-glittering reality...

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 304
Edition: Export Edition
Publisher: Viking
Published: 04 Feb 2010

ISBN 10: 0670918296
ISBN 13: 9780670918294

Media Reviews
A powerful debut novel. . . .The culture and politics of contemporary Morocco are well displayed in this beautifully written tale, with the talented Lalami deftly portraying Youssef's struggles for identity, work, and family. A brilliant story of alienation and desperation that easily transports readers to hot, dusty Casablanca; highly recommended. -Library Journal, starred review
Author Bio
Moroccan born Laila Lalami is known internationally for her blog, www.moorishgirl.com, and is author of the acclaimed short story collection Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits. Shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing and recipient of an Oregon Literary Arts grant and Fulbright Fellowship, her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Boston Globe.