Reviews

Secret Son by Laila Lalami

karinlib's review

4.0

Beautifully written book, set in Casablanca, Morocco. Youssef grew up in the slums of Casablanca, finished high school, and was ready to start his first year of college. Then he found out who is father was and his life changed forever.

Secret Son reminded me of The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Great Expectations.

hokielin's review against another edition

2.0

It was fine but there just wasn't anything exciting. And with the semester about to begin, I didn't feel like wasting my time on something I just wasn't all that excited about.

ratisha's review against another edition

3.0

I felt like it dragged a bit and the end was a disappointment.

jelundberg's review against another edition

4.0

Once again, Lalami brings Morocco to life as a vibrant conflicted country, with a deep heritage in both the East and West. Youssef el-Mekki is a Casablancan slum-dweller on his way to uni; smart and resourceful, and fatherless, or so he thinks. Lalami's prose is thoughtful and evocative, revealing her setting as similar to the wildly lively cities of India or Turkey. There are no easy answers for her characters, and hearts and lives are easily broken. A wonderful follow-up to Hope & Other Dangerous Pursuits.

jenmat1197's review

3.0

 

This is the story of Youssef who was raised by a single mother in the slums of Cassablanca.  When he is a teenager, he finds out the truth about his father.  His mother had always told him that his dad had died in a horrible accident when Youssef was a baby.  His mother finally tells him the truth, and he goes in search of his father.  His father, a weathy man, offers to give Youssef a leg up and help him live the life Youssef always wanted.  But when his father's wife finds out about Youssef, he is cut off and finds himself back in the slums and on the streets with his childhood friends.

Bitter feelings and a sense of hopelessness lead him into a situation he can see no way out of.  His mother tries to advise him and make him realize he should be proud of who he is no matter what, but in the end, it might be too late.

This book was fine.  I am seriously considering not keeping it as my Morocco book for my challenge because the ending was horrible.  It just.....stops.  The writing was so/so, and the story a mixed bag for me, but I was okay with it until the last chapter.  I keep going back to it SURE that my Kindle version had somehow cut off the true ending of the story.  I went onto Amazon and found that I was not alone - that this was truly how she decided to end the book.  It was not a good choice.

As much as I hate to ADD another book to my very long list of countries I am reading, I just don't think this is the book for me.  I think I will search for another book about Morocco. 

leavingsealevel's review against another edition

3.0

Geez. Just not in the mood for the terribly depressing ending. This is a really good book, and I should totally give it four stars, and I follow Lalami on Twitter and love most everything she says, and I loved her article in the Nation a while back about Islamophobia in Europe, and I'll read her book of short stories...just don't make me give something this depressing four stars today.

ashleyozery's review against another edition

informative sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

anetq's review against another edition

4.0

A story about searching for an identity - only to find, that when everybody stops lying and the truth is revealed, you already were who you were. And while we are what we are, maybe we don't control the roles people make us play.
From the slums of Morrocco to the high life in the city, our lives do not unfold the way we expected.

henrye's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Police brutality, Murder, and Homophobia

teoekstrom's review

4.0

As I'm shortly headed to Morocco, I'm trying to read up on the country. Lalami grew up in Morocco and has written a compelling story about Youssef, a young man who struggles with issues of national, cultural, and class identity. The story is strongest when focused on Amal, a secondary character who moved to America and has to grapple with connections to her old land. The end, unfortunately, is the weakest--while compelling plot developments kept me hooked, it felt sudden and perhaps untrue to the characters.