Reviews

Divorce Islamic Style by عمارة لخوص, Amara Lakhous

freddie's review against another edition

3.0

The humor is entertaining enough for it to be engaging. The characters are written weirdly though: the protagonist, a Sicilian man recruited by the Italian secret service, is a strangely passive character, while the deuteragonist, an immigrant woman from Egypt, is built compellingly. The two eventually find themselves in a sticky situation, but the ending is a cop-out, focusing only on the passive protagonist while discarding the buildup of the other character.

clare_tan_wenhui's review against another edition

4.0

Another snarky book filled with socio-political as well as gender commentary, debunking many misconceptions of the Islamic community, which is way more complicated but human than we think it is. An entertaining yet enlightening read.

nadia_g's review against another edition

1.0

It's Lakhous' second book translated in English. First one was excellent. This is abysmally bad. What happened? I should have been forewarned with such a title I suppose.

helen88's review against another edition

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

nadiasfiction's review against another edition

1.0

It's Lakhous' second book translated in English. First one was excellent. This is abysmally bad. What happened? I should have been forewarned with such a title I suppose.

giunic's review against another edition

informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

whats_margaret_reading's review against another edition

4.0

An interesting look within an immigrant community in Europe, set in 2005 when the fear of another attack in Europe was especially intense. The Muslim immigrant community of the Viale Marconi in Rome is suspected to be harboring a bombing plot, and Christian (aka Issa) is recruited by the Italian intelligence service to uncover the plotters.

I found the portions narrated by Safia, an immigrant from Egypt, to be a great addition to the overall narrative and provided a different point of view in the Muslim immigrant community in Rome. Her efforts to balance her religious devotion as well as her ambitions provide some of the most humorous and sobering portions of the novel.

Spoiler

The ending I found to be a let down after the various plotting earlier in the novel, where there seemed to be a genuine attack being planned. Then again, I was also trusting characters who spy on people for a living so that might have also been on me. Still, the surprise ending was a bit more of a surprise than I'd expected.

Overall, I'm quite pleased with the choice of Europa Editions translating and publishing this novel in English. Once again, it proves that reading literature in translation can add a new and international perspective, and can be fun to read at the same time.

isaworm's review

funny reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

bungaku_shoujo's review against another edition

4.0

3.5
Very entertaining, despite touching subjects like immigration, racism, etc. I think the book would have benefited from being a bit longer though

8little_paws's review

4.0

So this is a quirky little book about an Italian spy infiltrating a Muslim community in Italy trying to identify a potential terrorist. It's also told from the view of a strong willed woman living in the area as their paths cross. Despite this subject matter the book reads like a satire and has lots to say about modern Italian society. It's different, nice to get to read the world via books in translation!