Leaving Tangier

When did you last leave a place, a person, an anything? This novel is about the darkness, pain, and yes, hope with which one contends when leaving. Ostensibly, it is about Moroccans leaving home for a new life in Spain, yet it is so much more. The characters demonstrate the many reasons one leaves, the disillusionment of the dream of arrival, and the returning home. Ben Jelloun's prose is so evocative that the reader feels immersed in the events and feelings which transpire. I ached at the rendering of the realization that the grass isn't always greener and that one doesn't arrive in the new setting as a new person, but must continue on with who one was before the leaving. Memorable characters, a profound message, and wonderfully show more evocative prose made this an outstanding read! show less

Leaving Tangier is a story about leaving one's country of origin. Actually, it's more about how one cannot truly leave their country behind. It tells the tale of a brother and sister, Azel and Kenza, both who wish to leave Morocco for greater opportunities in Spain. Azel has a degree in law and international relations but cannot find work. He drifts aimlessly, and becomes obsessed with leaving. When he meets a wealthy Spaniard who is attracted to him, he sees his way out of the country. Kenza will eventually join them in Barcelona.

I thought this a powerful story of immigration, identity, disillusionment and danger. Azel struggles with a life that is not as he imagined it would be and his relationship with Manuel shakes up his sexual show more identity. Kenza, who is a trained nurse and talented dancer, is a bit more stable and adapts more easily. In alternating chapters the narrative gives us Azel and Kenza's stories while also telling the stories of other people who are connected to them. The picture we get of Morocco outside the tourist regions is that it is corrupt, exploitative, depressed and yet, through some of our characters we are drawn irresistibly to it. show less

About a brother and sister who manage to escape Morocco for Spain and their separate/combined stories. About immigrants (those who arrive), emigrants (those who leave), and identity. Well written with a somewhat peculiar ending.

I didn't care for this story that much. It had such disagreeable characters, each one having his or her own chapter relating that person's story. I personally do not like this way of storytelling.

The general story was about Moroccans, specifically two siblings from Tangiers, who were determined to leave Morocco and make their lives better in Spain. The main character Azel graduated as a lawyer in Morocco but could find no work there; his sister Kenza had a dream of going to Spain, finding love, and then coming back home to Tangiers ready to have children with a husband she loves. Life in Spain did not turn out well for either of them nor for Miguel, a wealthy Spanish citizen. He promised to set up Azel for a life of luxury in Spain, show more although his ulterior motive was to use Azel as a servant and later as a lover.

I was glad the story ended when it did. I was exhausted from the misery of it all. I was also exhausted from all of the various characters and everything that they did to make their own lives as miserable as possible.

The writing was not the problem; the depressing story was, though. I might try another book by this author in the future, but I will need a story of Moroccans in their own country as their immigrant experience in Spain was a bit too much for me. show less

I liked this right up to the end where it really went off the rails. Very interesting novel about a group of young people all trying to emigrate to Europe from N. Africa by any means necessary. Even more interesting to read in light of recent Arab spring events.

Some of the views expressed in the book are interesting,as the author is very critical of many of the institutions, customs and ways of life in Morocco, and he explores the motivations and needs of people who want to emigrate to Europe via Spain. This critical approach is the best feature of the book, but I kept thinking that these comments on Moroccan society and on immigration would have been better placed as opinion articles in the press. Especially, because the book does not work well as a novel. The prose is clumsy (particularly the dialogues), the characters of the book are unconvincing and the events in their lives are presented as little mosaics of information, which are interesting in themselves but unrelated to the characters show more and to the novel as a whole. The main plot -the relationship between the young Moroccan, Azel, who wants to emigrate and Miguel an elderly Spanish art dealer who facilitates his visa and becomes his lover- is full of cliches and it offers a very negative picture of homosexuality. Most of the relationships portrait in the book are exploitative and driven by lust, deceit and greed, which means the characters are quite uninteresting and lack complexity. show less

Interesting story involving immigration, Islam, and sex. Being born into America is the luckiest thing that ever happened to me.