Author(s): Laila Lalami

Fiction

'The rain came unexpectedly, after nearly three years of drought . . .' Raised by his mother in a windowless single room in Casablanca, Youssef has always dreamed of another life, a better world. So he cannot believe his fortune when he discovers that the father he believed dead is not only alive but also a rich businessman eager to give his only son a new start. Abandoning his mother, Youssef takes to his new life like he was born to it. He revels in the luxuries of a pampered upper class. But soon the strains of who he was and who he is becoming overcome him. Trapped by his class and painfully aware of his own limitations, he is easy prey for those seeking to change the world by any and all means.