A review by whats_margaret_reading
Divorce Islamic Style by Amara Lakhous

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.