Des rêves et des assassins

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Of Dreams and Assassins is the urgent and rhythmic fourth novel by Malika Mokeddem, her second in English. Born in Algeria to a Bedouin family, Mokeddem was inspired by her grandmother's stories and encouraged to pursue education at a time when girls were often denied that opportunity. While raised in a tolerant version of Islam, she felt the weight of tradition. The novel captures her early yearning for freedom through its heroine, Kenza, who navigates rebellion and literary immersion at a boarding school. Kenza, an exile in her own society and later in France, is born during a visit to Montpellier in the year of Algerian independence. Upon returning to Oran, she discovers her father has taken another wife, leading her mother to leave and never return. Kenza's quest for identity, told through a frank first-person narrative, reflects the struggles of Algerian women fighting for their rights after their crucial role in the war for independence. Her suffocating childhood is contrasted with summers in the desert, where the dates "gleam like little clusters of suns." Eventually, Kenza leaves Algeria for Montpellier, unable to endure her life there. The novel serves as a protest against the subjugation of women and the violence inflicted by fundamentalist groups. In exile, Kenza finds hope in métissage, embodied by her friend Slim, emphasizing Mokeddem's belief in the transformative power of women and education for Algeria's future