Yassin Adnan

From the start I was drawn into the story of Rahhal, a marginal character in this comedy of life and who over the years has built a double identity. That little internal voice that he virtually uses to clear his consciousness of his real thoughts and spit out his venom on his false enemies. From his school bullying to the establishment of his adult life, we follow the slow evolution of Rahhal and his "maturity" towards this serial commentator who reigns on social networks and Moroccan forums.

The rhythm of the novel is fast at the beginning but slow and heavy towards the end. I loved the description of the characters, this animal analogy helped to visualize the different characters better. It is undeniable that the author has an excellent command of the descriptive style and has paid homage to Marrakech, its corners and the various educational establishments. The description of life in Marrakech and the daily life of Moroccans before and after social networks is superbly described. It is an open window on life, the setbacks and adventures of different characters that we see in the street: from the waitress of the cafe to the vendor of fruits and vegetables.

Hot Maroc is an excellent debut novel by Yassin Adnan and will transport you in a way that only translated works can.… (más)

This was a book I received as an advanced reader copy from Librarything.com. It is a collection of short Stories. I have decided to review each one below. Overall I thought it was well written, and it was interesting to read the perspective of the Marrakech Muslims. I may not have alway understood all the nuances but I really enjoyed the new points of view. It was not what I thought it would be when I first picked it up, it was far less crime and more human condition stories. All of the stories rambled a bit and most of the authors didn't see to have a strong storyline to me. Often it felt that there were too many characters and no resolutions.The Mysterious Painting by Found Laroui - This is a simple mystery, short and quick but well paced. I liked the way the chief followed they mystery.A Noisy Disappearance in an Ill-Reputed Alley by Allal Bourqia - I totally missed the point of this story. I may have missed cultural cues.Looking at Mars in Marrakech by Abdelkader Benali - So much ambiguity, and a sci-fy story was very unexpected.Other Places by Mohamed Zouhair - This is a sad story of longing and loss. It also showed a man's view of a woman's perspective.The Mummy in the Pasha's House by Mohamed Achaari - This story was too jumpy, it felt very disjointed to me.A Way to Mecca by Hanane Derkaoui - This was the 1st female author in the collection, and she took on some subjects that were very suprising, and what I would have thought of as taboo: Homesexuality in Muslims. It was a very well written story. I found that it was interesting that it was a flip of Other Places with a woman who is writing a man's perspective.The Secret in Fingertips by Fatiha Morchid - Another female writer, she is is also another very good writer. This is a story with lots of twists and turns, and a heart of gold.Delirium by Mahi Binebine - This was a weird split personality story, and it made no sense to me. However the writing flowed very well.In Search of a Son by Mohamed Nedali - I didn't understand the ending.Mama Aicha by Halima Zine El Abidine - I think this was my favorite story, it was beautiful, heartwarming, and profound.Frankenstein's Monster by My Seddik Rabbaj - Entertaining and full of superstition, no real point though.An E-mail from the Sky by Yassin Adnan - I had problems jumping from perspective to perspective.A Twisted Soul by Karima Nadir - Beautifully written and full of sadness.Black Love by Taha Adnan - It was a little long and twisty, but in the end it tied up nicely.A Person Fit for Murder by Lahcen Bakour - Finally a story like I thought this book would be. Muder and sadness!
For additional reviews please see my blog at www.adventuresofabibliophile.blogspot.com… (más)