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A review by booklane
The Mediterranean Wall by Louis-Philippe Dalembert
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
You are the ones who have no rights at all. Get that into your qird heads: none at all. You belong to us. If you insist on going where no one is waiting for you, you’ll do what we tell you to do. Period”
A harrowing story that reads like a reportage of pain and desperation. Three women from different walks of life, of three different confessions and from different countries, united by the same desperation that leads them to escape from climate disaster, violence and war. After very difficult journeys they all converge to Lybia and embark on a hellish crossing where many will die and which is inspired by terrible events reported in many newspapers (referenced at the end). Each tells her story, which feels more like a chronicle. The language is crystal clear and calls things by their own name in a restrained, solemn tone which is devoid of rhetorical flourishes. The focus is on the harsh realities that caused them to flee and the lawlessness and arbitrariness of the Lybian camps. These are de facto a hellish modern day enslavement system that gives the reader more than a punch in the stomach: the narrator wants us to take everything in and bear witness but his gaze is not voyeuristic and does not linger on gruesome details. Yet there are uplifting moments as we stay with these womens’ trampled humanity and learn of their hopes, fears and dreams.
An eye-opening novel designed to make you indignant, it does not hesitate to point the finger toward the indifference of international institutions. While it manages to fulfil its purpose, it is a pity that it drags in some parts, especially as in the women’s accounts of their past. Still an important achievement.
A harrowing story that reads like a reportage of pain and desperation. Three women from different walks of life, of three different confessions and from different countries, united by the same desperation that leads them to escape from climate disaster, violence and war. After very difficult journeys they all converge to Lybia and embark on a hellish crossing where many will die and which is inspired by terrible events reported in many newspapers (referenced at the end). Each tells her story, which feels more like a chronicle. The language is crystal clear and calls things by their own name in a restrained, solemn tone which is devoid of rhetorical flourishes. The focus is on the harsh realities that caused them to flee and the lawlessness and arbitrariness of the Lybian camps. These are de facto a hellish modern day enslavement system that gives the reader more than a punch in the stomach: the narrator wants us to take everything in and bear witness but his gaze is not voyeuristic and does not linger on gruesome details. Yet there are uplifting moments as we stay with these womens’ trampled humanity and learn of their hopes, fears and dreams.
An eye-opening novel designed to make you indignant, it does not hesitate to point the finger toward the indifference of international institutions. While it manages to fulfil its purpose, it is a pity that it drags in some parts, especially as in the women’s accounts of their past. Still an important achievement.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Torture, and Sexual violence