An American Mom in Asia

This novel, The Angels Die by Yasmina Khadra is set in north African Algeria, after World War 1, but before World War 2. The first person narrator, Turambo, is powerful and flawed. We first meet him in prison, facing the death penalty. Then the story rewinds to Turambo’s childhood in a poor Algerian village and his coming of age as a young man in the city. We follow his missteps and successes, all the while very aware of the changing world around him. Turambo is a poor, uneducated Arab trying to succeed in the modernizing world of colonized Algeria. Racism and classism is abundant in almost every relationship Turambo makes. The Angels Die is set up as a “rags to riches” story where the “hero gets the girl”….until it isn’t. I found this story slow to read, but engaging. I’m glad I finished it, but I can’t say that I loved it.

⭐️ My rating: 3.25 stars of 5