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A review by books_coffees_wines
Sex and Lies by Leïla Slimani
4.0
“By speaking up, by telling their stories, women employ one of their most potent weapons against widespread hate and hypocrisy: words”.
Synopsis:
“In Morocco, the only acceptable sexual activity is between a man and his wife. Where all forms of extra-marital sex, homosexuality and prostitution are not only morally frowned upon but also punishable by law, women appear to have two options: be a virgin, or be a wife.”
This was an eye-opening book and hard to put down; I read it in two sittings. It appears that the strict laws are creating a culture of lying, people are afraid to reveal their relationships to the outside world (even public displays of affection can result in imprisonment). “Do what you wish, but never talk about it” seemed to be a repeated theme in the stories of these women.
One thing that becomes apparent is that these laws impact the poorer communities to a far greater extent than the wealthy. The rich can often pay their way out of imprisonment, the privileged are more likely to be able to get away with relationships outside of wedlock, the poor are not. As Slimani states, “to defend sexual rights is directly to defend human rights”.
One law that shocked me is that once couples divorce, the husband automatically gets custody of the children.
I enjoyed reading these stories from a wide range of women and how Moroccan laws impact them. They are courageous to have shared these, it was an excellent book of essays. If you're looking for a short yet important non-fiction read, then pick this one up.
Synopsis:
“In Morocco, the only acceptable sexual activity is between a man and his wife. Where all forms of extra-marital sex, homosexuality and prostitution are not only morally frowned upon but also punishable by law, women appear to have two options: be a virgin, or be a wife.”
This was an eye-opening book and hard to put down; I read it in two sittings. It appears that the strict laws are creating a culture of lying, people are afraid to reveal their relationships to the outside world (even public displays of affection can result in imprisonment). “Do what you wish, but never talk about it” seemed to be a repeated theme in the stories of these women.
One thing that becomes apparent is that these laws impact the poorer communities to a far greater extent than the wealthy. The rich can often pay their way out of imprisonment, the privileged are more likely to be able to get away with relationships outside of wedlock, the poor are not. As Slimani states, “to defend sexual rights is directly to defend human rights”.
One law that shocked me is that once couples divorce, the husband automatically gets custody of the children.
I enjoyed reading these stories from a wide range of women and how Moroccan laws impact them. They are courageous to have shared these, it was an excellent book of essays. If you're looking for a short yet important non-fiction read, then pick this one up.