Secret Son

Youssef el Mekki, a young man of nineteen, is living with his mother in the slums of Casablanca when he discovers that the father he believed to be dead is, in fact, alive and eager to befriend and support him Leaving his mother behind, Youssef assumes a life he could only dream of a famous and influential father, his own penthouse apartment, and all the luxuries associated with his new status His future appears assured until an abrupt reversal of fortune sends him back to the streets and his childhood friends, where a fringe Islamic group, known simply as the Party, has set up its headquarters In the spirit of The Inheritance of Loss and The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Laila Lalami s powerful first novel explores the struggle for identity, the need for family, and the desperation that overtakes ordinary lives in a country divided by class, politics, and religion. Best Download Secret Son Author Laila Lalami For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr fast read well written one son s personal anguish cradled in Morocco s class struggles and corruption among the ruling class recommended reading.This book has such an enjoyable writing style it s very accessible and the book is a really quick read, and a pleasant read, despite its tragic subject matter This book had a good mix of the personal and political, heavy on the personal, which I liked I got a great feel for various parts of Morocco and what it feels like to be an immigrant I admired how while parts of this story are about big issues, the significance of the psychological aspects of family, including what s happened in past g This book has such an enjoyable writing style it s ve...If I had to sum this book up in one quick phrase, it would be hauntingly beautiful.Lalami s writing style is beautiful Sophisticated but not too over the top Easy to read, but not juvenile The story itself I could not stop reading Youssef s relationships with his mother, his friends, and his new found father are at times heartbreaking There is a lot of emotion in his story and Lalami knows how to write it well Despite being heartbroken, I could not stop reading.Then there is the political If I had to sum this book up in one quick phrase, it would be hauntingly beautiful.Lalami s writing style is beautiful Sophisticated but not too over the top Easy to read, but not juvenile The story itself I could not stop reading Youssef s relationships with his mother, his friends, and his new found father are at times heartbreaking There is a lot of emotion in his story and Lalami knows how to write it well Despite being heartbroken, I could not stop reading.Then there is the political and cultural story of Morocco which is interesting as well but I must admit, to me, was not as important as the personal story when I began to read As a former anthropology student, I believe Lalami did her country justice She showed the diversity of the people Everyone has their own story and there are no simple answers to why some people live in the slums while others live in mansions or to why some people stand up and protest while others decide to sit ou...My thoughts I was not quite sure what to expect when I started reading Secret Son, but I was quickly drawn into the story and found myself captivated by the writing and the journey of the sensitive na ve nineteen year old protagonist, Youssef I wondered about the quote included before the start of the story The fact that I am writing to you in English already falsifies what I wanted to tell you from Cuban American port Gustavo Perez Firmat but it madesense when I learned that t My thoughts I was not quite sure what to expect when I started reading Secret Son, but I was quickly drawn into the story and found myself captivated by the writing and the journey of the sensitive na ve nineteen year old protagonist, Youssef I wondered about the quote included before the start of the story The fact that I am writing to you in English already falsifies what I wanted to tell you from Cuban American port Gustavo Perez Firmat but it madesense when I learned that the author wrote this book for American audiences and yes, the book did appeal to my American sensibilities The story is sent in contemporary Morocco after Sept 11th which helps set the tone of the story While each of the characters battles confronts issues of identity, loyalty, and justi...In this superb short novel, Laila Lalami deftly limns the rise and fall of Youssef El Mekki, unacknowledged bastard son of prominent businessman, disillusioned activist, and bon vivant Nabil El Amrani Seemingly sprung from the trap of the Casablanca slums when he learns that his father, far from being dead, is in fact a Moroccan tycoon, Youssef is soon caught in a complex web of familial and political intrigue A mark of this novel s quality is its ability to portray what for many Americans is In this superb short novel, Laila Lalami deftly limns the rise and fall of Youssef El Mekki, unacknowledged bastard son of prominent businessman, disillusioned activist, and bon vivant Nabil El Amrani Seemingly sprung from the trap of the Casablanca slums when he learns that his father, far from being dead, is in fact a Moroccan tycoon, Youssef is soon caught in a complex web of familial and political intrigue A mark of this novel s quality is its ability to portray what for many Americans is the mildly exotic culture of Morocco while also convincingly revealing the ways in which both Americans and Moroccans are enmeshed in their own cultural contexts a point illustrated in another fashion by Malcolm Gladwell s recent Outliers While each character acts as though autonomously, behind the apparently simple interac...A little disappointing The main character Youssef grows up without a father He is poor but idle He meets his previously thought dead father who is rich A new world in open to him but this is soon removed and he is back in the poverty grove He is tempted into a local Islamic group.There is coverage of the sexist, class riddled life in Morocco and the temptations to rebel But this book lacked tension, the characters just didn t do it for me The plotting of the two mothers was a highlight.I A little dis...Disappointing Writing was simplistic, dialogue unimaginative, plot unbelievable Possibly if you had no exposure to other parts of the world you might learn something But there are so many books that do a much better job of this Brick Lane, The Inheritence of Loss for example Disappointed that it was chosen by Seattle Public Library for it s Seattle Reads promotion I only finished it because it was easy reading and my book club chose it because it was part of Seattle Reads Seattle would b Disappointing Writing was simplistic, dialogue unimaginative, plot unbelievable Possibly if you had no exposure to other parts of the world you might learn something But there are so many books that do a much better job of this Brick Lane, The Inheritence of Loss for example Disappointed that it was chosen by Seattle Public Library for it s Seattle Reads promotion I only finished it because it was easy reading and my book club chose it because it was part of...Having read Laila Lalami s short fiction collection Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits, I was thrilled to find out she was working on her first novel, Secret Son Often when I read first time novelists, I notice some difficulty with dialogue my own biggest downfall when I m writing fiction , awkward clich s, ...4.5 Stars After reading some of the other reviews I wish I could be as eloquent as they have been but alas, I am not a writer just a simple reader Nevertheless, I continue I was surprised at how taken I was with this novel Would I have picked it up off a bookseller s shelf I m not sure However, I certainly appreciated Lalami s writing style and found her stark descriptions of modern Morocco, it s culture, and its struggles quite captivating Gently, Lalami pulled me into Youseff s life an 4.5 Stars After reading some of the other reviews I wish I could be as eloquent as they have been but alas, I am not a writer just a simple reader Nevertheless, I continue I was surprised at how taken I was with this novel Would I have picked it up off a bookseller s shelf I m not sure However, I certainly appreciated Lalami s writing style and found her stark descriptions of modern Morocco, it ...Secret Son tells the story of Youseff El Mekki.He has grown up in the slums of Casablanca with his mother, and now he is going to college, working and dreaming of a better life.He believes that his father died in an accident, before he was born, before he had a chance to marry his mother But he discovers that story is not true, it was a fabrication by h...

• English
• 07 May 2017
Laila Lalami
• Hardcover
• 291 pages
• 1565124944
• Laila Lalami
• Secret Son