The Last Chapter

Plot

From BooklistIn the manner of her semiautobiographical, very independent heroine, Moroccan novelist Abouzeid writes in Arabic and translates her own work into English. What is it like to be a young, intellectual, and religious Moroccan woman in the second half of the twentieth century? Frustrating, especially if you're Aisha, an exceptional high-school student, one of only 2 girls in a class of 42. She prefers interaction with men because "they did not pick at our minds, since they assumed we were born without them." Moroccan women are expected to quietly submit to arranged Muslim marriage and quietly bear many children, neither of which Aisha does, leading to a series of failed relationships and prompting the question that Abouzeid suggests is paramount on the minds of many young Moroccan women: Is it OK to be single? If Abouzeid fails to get inside her heroine's emotions to the degree we would wish, she does provide a fascinating glimpse into a world mostly unknown in the West. Peggy BarberCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedProduct DescriptionCharting Aisha's path through adolescence and young adulthood up to the present, her story is told through a series of flashbacks, anecdotes, and glimpses of the past, all bound up with a strong, often strident, always compelling worldview that takes in Morocco, its politics, people, and traditions, Islam, and marriage. Male-female relationships feature strongly in the narrative, and by exposing us to Aisha's troubled romantic encounters, Abouzeid uncovers the shifting male/female roles within the Morocco of her lifetime. Many aspects of Moroccan society are also explored through the other clashes of the modern and the traditional in Aisha's life. The workplace and corruption, the struggle for women's rights, the clash between Islamic and Western values as well as with the older practices of sorcery and witchcraft, and the conflict between colonial and native language use are all intertwined in a narrative that is both forceful and often poetic. Through a series of tales of emotional disasters, the reader becomes aware not only of Aisha's frustrations but also of her deep commitment to her country and her struggle to defeat suffering, uphold justice, and retain a fierce independence as a woman and a clarity of conviction in her life.Leila Abouzeid is a pioneer among her Moroccan contemporaries in that she writes in Arabic rather than in French and is the first Moroccan woman writer of literature to be translated into English. This stimulating and revealing book adds a new perspective to Maghrebi women's writing, and is an important addition to the growing body of Arab women's writing in translation.About the AuthorLeila Abouzeid began her career as a radio and TV journalist, and also worked as press assistant in government ministries and in the prime minister's office. She is the author of two memoirs, a collection of short stories, and the critically acclaimed novel The Year of the Elephant. The Last Chapter is her second novel.