In the Country of Others: A Novel Hardcover – August 10, 2021

As an expat married to an African, so much of this novel felt familiar to me. I liked the way the author was omniscient and moved easily from one character's perspective to another's. I admire the way she portrayed this family of a Christian and a Muslim who loved one another and tried to embrace each others' customs to please each other. The love Mathilde felt for her Moroccan husband rings true although I suspect many Westerners find it hard to Understand. I was surprised and happy to have found this book.

This is a well written chronicle set in the 1950s about Mathilde, a woman from Alsace, France, who marries Amine a Moroccan soldier. She moves to his country with idolized visions of what her life will be like but all too soon discovers just how far removed reality actually is. The dusty hot weather, scant existence, racism and cruelty she experiences at the hands of her husband, his family and others left me with a feeling of sadness and despondency. The story was best summed up with this paragraph"After quietly closing the door and walking into the hallway, Amine thought about how the fruit of the lemange tree was inedible. Its pulp was dry and its taste so bitter that it brought tears to his eyes. And the world of men is just like the world of botany, he thought. In the end one species dominates another. One day the orange will win out over the lemon, or vice versa, or the tree will once again produce fruit that people can eat. 4 Stars.

Very slow. Kept waiting for a major plot twist as is typical of Slimani but was disappointed not to discover one. Ending created abruptly leaving the reader wanting to know more about the fate of the characters.

Generational novel WWII to Moroccan independence.

I enjoyed reading about a time and place I knew nothing about. The mother's journey to acceptance for her situation made me angry but it was believable. It felt a little lacking in something. It didn't delve too much into any one character. Nothing remarkable happened. Maybe that's part of the point, human endurance through difficultyvv

Beautifully written, intelligent and empathic descriptions of a complicated life, of suffering people , good people, lost people, far away and near, hopeful and disappointed, a mosaic of a turbulent era in Morocco and France conflict, and people living among ideology, despair, ignorance, culture shock and a deep love flowing as a river among the prejudices, the hatred and fear, the exploitation and the lack of mutual understanding . A Jewell of migrant literature and gender oppression

I loved this book. The writing was amazing.

I forced myself to finish this novel as it is a book club pick and really disliked everything about it. All the poorly developed, unlikable, and unpredictable characters are angry, cruel, negative and mean spirited. There is not a positive and uplifting interaction in the entire book. There doesn't seem to be any plot, the story moves forward with the introduction of another strange character or incidence. There is little exploration of the relationship between the central couple, a Frenchwoman and a Moroccan man, and their family dynamics are strained and unhappy. Please don't waste your time or money.