fits the mysteries of Mecca., Raja Alem's reputation in contemporary Arabic literature similar to Nabokov's in ours: masterful, erudite, witty, and somewhat dangerous., It is in the portrayal of Mecca, the rituals that take place around the Kaaba (the mausoleum), the spiritual and the profane unfolding side by side, the desire for freedom and ploys to survive of the dwellers of Abourrous-these new Saudi Arabians who come from Africa, Asia or Turkey-that Raja Alem really excels, revealing the Islamic heartland that the media alludes to without ever really telling us anything., The book is filled with strong women, beginning with the two possible victims, Aisha and Azza, very different from one another, but both open-minded, combative, and able to challenge the rules and the men around them, despite living in a female population that is subjugated and oppressed.

fits the mysteries of Mecca., Certainly, The Dove's Necklace can be described as noir, but it's a lot more than that.It is a novel which, in exposing the cliches and preconceptions that are widespread in western society, reveals a more troubling reality, through the relentless evolution of the holy city, of an Arab world torn between an ever more dogmatic conservatism and an aspiration towards modernity which topples and destroys its own roots.A magnificent, desperate work., While it seems reductive to categorize this novel, it's a kind of philosophical noir, which explores the state of a nation that is constantly hanging in the balance between ancient tradition and modernity.extraordinary, deeply moving., Alem, the first woman to win the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, blends surrealism and mystery in this challenging novel., Praise for Raja Alem: 'Raja Alem's reputation in contemporary Arabic literature similar to Nabokov's in ours: masterful, erudite, witty, and somewhat dangerous.' - BOMB, The real mystery here is Mecca itself, with the intricacies of its customs and new ways of life seen through many lenses.

The real mystery here is Mecca itself, with the intricacies of its customs and new ways of life seen through many lenses.

The Dove's Necklace by Raja Alem