Secret Son by Laila Lalami

Secret Son Reviews

• 
  Susan Abulhawa

  fast read well written one son’s personal anguish cradled in Morocco’s class struggles and corruption among the ruling class recommended reading
• 
  Lisa Vegan

  This book has such an enjoyable writing style; it’s very accessible and the book is a really uick read and a pleasant read despite its tragic subject matter This book had a good mix of the personal and political heavy on the personal which I liked I got a great feel for various parts of Morocco and what it feels like to be an immigrant I admired how while parts of this story are about big issues the significance of the psychological aspects of family including what’s happened in past generations and of friends and community and most of all the importantce of each person’s psychological makeup was shown clearlyIt was a little weird at first but I ended up appreciating the separate sections to show the different points of view of the various characters It was a bit jarring but it was effectiveThis book is all about betrayal both with malice and with supposed love and protection in mind It’s also about the feeling of not belonging It’s about poverty and injustice and other ills that can lead to poor conclusionsI understand depression despair rage and I could empathize greatly with most of the main characters the privileged and the poverty stricken But I was still not so sold on some of the events not really I was a bit stunned by the ending even though I had a good idea of what was coming I felt some relief that in the end the characters did seem realistic and true to how they’d been craftedMy two main complaints about this book are what I consider a weak ending and the lack of humor Yes there are characters in good humor and even characters that experience amusement but I was never amused Perhaps it’s because I knew the gist of the plot before I read the book but I felt that the book kept to a very narrow range of tone I was very engaged when I was reading at least up until toward the very end but the way the story ended left me unsatisfied; I was gratified by how some of the subplots played out but ultimately I was disappointed; I think I would have been much pleased by so many different endings sad or happy or any mix of the two This is wonderful storytelling but the story ended up letting me down
• 
  Fawaz Abdul rahman

  25I don't think as the description of this novel mentioned a journey of searching the meaning of life etc neither I think that the author is experienced enough to write such a topichowever the author has done a good job describing the different lifestyles in Morocco as well as pointing out the corruption and power of social classes thereAn other odd thing was when showing a conversation between 2 the uestions and answers were different it suppose to be showing the views and feelings I was wondering about an explanation for this in the reading club but couldn’t find any And some Arabic French phrases left untranslatedI think the main point of the novel was to point out how some militant groups were taking advantage of the extreme poverty in the country to recruit young people and how easy to brainwash themI think this story will do a good movie than a good book couldn't find audible adition on goodreads
• 
  Ken

  Growing up in the Casablanca slumps Youssef is urged by he’s mother to pursue he’s education at college and try to better himselfYoussef soon learns that he’s believed dead father is still alive in fact he’s a wealthy businessmanGiven the choice of abandoning he’s past Youssef has the opportunity to live a wealthy lifestyleWhich will he choose?A pretty simple story that highlights the gulf in the class divide a well written novel which drew me in straight from the first chapterIt gave a nice insight into what life is like in Morocco a perfect choice for my #WorldCupInBooks
• 
  Beverly

  My thoughts• I was not uite sure what to expect when I started reading Secret Son but I was uickly drawn into the story and found myself captivated by the writing and the journey of the sensitive naïve nineteen year old protagonist Youssef• I wondered about the uote included before the start of the story – “The fact that Iam writing to you in Englishalready falsifies what I wanted to tell you” from Cuban American port Gustavo Perez Firmat but it made sense when I learned that the author wrote this book for American audiences and yes the book did appeal to my American sensibilities• The story is sent in contemporary Morocco after Sept 11th which helps set the tone of the story• While each of the characters battlesconfronts issues of identity loyalty and justice – it is Youssef’s that are the main focus in the book It is the unraveling of secrets that reveal the cracks in perception that cause personal turmoil against the outside forces beguiling with their promises• Youssef lives in a slum in Casablanca with his single mother who pushed him that a university education is the way out of poverty But Morocco has a very stratified class society and while the government speaks that all is possible if the actions say otherwise And when Youssef gets to live this life of luxury and the attainment of a better future looks attainable the fall back to poverty and the disillusionment of who he is shatters him until another type of dream is presented to him• This book highlights the struggle of Islamic fundamentalists vs the corrupt liberalism of the power structure but this fight is definitely geared towards capturing the minds of men because there is not sugarcoating that this is an oppressive society for women • And while there are probably many answers to the uestion – “Why does one become a terrorist?” this storyline answers that uestion as it pertains to Youssef I thought the author “kept it real” without over simplifying or going over the top and illustrates how complicated and complex the issues of change modernity vs traditional and power are
• 
  Bill

  In this superb short novel Laila Lalami deftly limns the rise and fall of Youssef El Mekki unacknowledged bastard son of prominent businessman disillusioned activist and bon vivant Nabil El Amrani Seemingly sprung from the trap of the Casablanca slums when he learns that his father far from being dead is in fact a Moroccan tycoon Youssef is soon caught in a complex web of familial and political intrigue A mark of this novel's uality is its ability to portray what for many Americans is the mildly exotic culture of Morocco while also convincingly revealing the ways in which both Americans and Moroccans are enmeshed in their own cultural contexts a point illustrated in another fashion by Malcolm Gladwell's recent Outliers While each character acts as though autonomously behind the apparently simple interactions between the characters lies a complex web of human relationships cultural relationships and sometimes sinister motivations which Lalami gradually unveils Lalami's lean style unsparing eye and tight construction mean not a word is wasted in this elegant depiction of the book's all too human characters and its damning indictment of the cruel forces that manipulate them
• 
  Calzean

  A little disappointing The main character Youssef grows up without a father He is poor but idle He meets his previously thought dead father who is rich A new world in open to him but this is soon removed and he is back in the poverty grove He is tempted into a local Islamic groupThere is coverage of the sexist class riddled life in Morocco and the temptations to rebel But this book lacked tension the characters just didn't do it for me The plotting of the two mothers was a highlightI did feel for Youssef and what awaits him See This Blinding Absence of Light
• 
  Anne

  Disappointing Writing was simplistic dialogue unimaginative plot unbelievable Possibly if you had no exposure to other parts of the world you might learn something But there are so many books that do a much better job of this Brick Lane The Inheritence of Loss for example Disappointed that it was chosen by Seattle Public Library for it's Seattle Reads promotion I only finished it because it was easy reading and my book club chose it because it was part of Seattle Reads Seattle would be better off watching TV
• 
  Maram

  The novel was a bit fast paced and talked about different “heavy matters” religion politics family and identity issueshierarchy in society and it is influence too much drama for my tasteIt was alright as an audiobook despite my general dislike to infidelity and lies in books😣It wasn’t boring just not my taste and sometimes I was left confusedI wonder how someone who doesn’t know Arabic and french think of the untranslated bits personally didn’t understand any of the french sentence except Bonjour
• 
  Yousif Al Zeera

  Clash of the classes Not the easiest job ever to weave yourself through these lines It all comes at a price a hefty one usually