Discretion

Faïza Guène

Summary

Yamina Taleb is approaching her seventieth birthday. These days, she strives for a quiet life, grateful to the country that hosts her and her adored family. The closest she gets to drama is scooping 'revolutionary' bargains in the form of plastic kitchenware gadgets. But Yamina's children feel differently about life in Paris. They don't always fit in, and it hurts. Omar wonders whether it's too late to change course as he watches the world pass him by from the driver's seat of his Uber. His sisters are tired of having to prove themselves and their allegiance to a place that is at once home, and not. When the Talebs go away together on holiday - not to the motherland, but to a villa-with-pool rental near the Atlantic coast - they come to realise just how strongly family defines our sense of belonging. Moving between Algeria and Paris, Discretion touchingly evokes the realities of a first- and second-generation family as they carve out a future for themselves in France, finding one another as they go along.

Available since: 05/31/2023.

Print length: 224 pages.

Contemporary Fiction

1 Comments

Book of the Week 06/30/2023

A heartfelt and perceptive portrait of a first and second generation family of Algerian immigrants in France.

Guène’s writing is subtle, authentic and brilliantly captures the individual voices of each member of the Taleb family. She skillfully explores the experiences of first and second generation immigrants, seamlessly alternating between past and present, Algeria and France. In a world where you are repeatedly marked as different and where you are caught in a place in-between, it becomes an instinctive reflex to try and figure out whether the person that is not looking you in the eye is just distracted or whether they might be a racist. While Yamina is trying to avoid conflict at all cost, her children, especially Hannah, get frustrated with her seeming obliviousness to evident injustices. However, as Yamina’s story unfolds, it becomes clear that her discretion is not resignation but rather a unique form of resistance.

Guène is a superb storyteller, effortlessly portraying the inner struggles of her characters and conveying their emotions to the reader. With a perfect blend of humor and poignancy, DISCRETION provokes introspection and empathy for those who are caught between different cultures. Highly recommended!

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About the author

Faïza Guène

Faïza Guène is a bestselling and award-winning French Algerian writer and director. Spotted at a writing workshop at the age of eighteen, she made an astonishing literary debut with her...

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