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A review by bookish_sabrina
Sex and Lies by Leïla Slimani
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
After her release of Adele and her public championing of women's rights and freedoms, many women began confiding in Slimani about their shared experiences concerning misogyny, lack of sexual education, and lack of agency concerning marriage. There is a diverse array of voices in terms of education levels and experiences, although it was unfortunately lacking in LGBTQ voices, for understandable reasons.
I feel like this book taught me so much about gender norms and culture in Morocco, which I previously knew nothing about. Public displays of affection are banned in the public and the media. Women are extremely concerned with maintaining the appearance of purity, while also leading sexually active lives. Hymen inspections and replacements are common. I appreciated the breadth of voices that provided unique descriptions of experiences, which served to highlight how pervasive these trends are in modern Morocco. I think it has provided a lot of useful context for reading Moroccan texts in the future, particularly by women.
I feel like this book taught me so much about gender norms and culture in Morocco, which I previously knew nothing about. Public displays of affection are banned in the public and the media. Women are extremely concerned with maintaining the appearance of purity, while also leading sexually active lives. Hymen inspections and replacements are common. I appreciated the breadth of voices that provided unique descriptions of experiences, which served to highlight how pervasive these trends are in modern Morocco. I think it has provided a lot of useful context for reading Moroccan texts in the future, particularly by women.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Islamophobia