The End of the Sahara
On an early autumn morning in 1988, on the outskirts of an Algerian city on the edge of the desert, a shepherd stumbles upon the lifeless body of Zakia Zaghouani, the stunning nightclub singer at the Sahara Hotel.
Suspicion immediately falls on her lover, who is thrown into prison. The incompetent Inspector Hamid begins an investigation. So does the defence lawyer of the main suspect. Family, friends, and close ones give their testimonies, finding themselves confronted with their past. Secrets, betrayals, grudges, but also dreams and hopes shed light on their connection to the victim. So, who really killed Zakia? And what if, behind this woman’s murder, lie secrets so unbearable they could tear an entire community apart?
'Khatibi lets his formidable storytelling talent shine. Essential reading.' – France Info
'A delightful and skillful novel. In the tradition of Alaa El Aswany' – Le Point
Saïd Khatibi is a novelist, travel writer, translator, and journalist born in 1984 in Bou Saâda, Algeria. He currently lives in Slovenia. He writes in Arabic and French and translates between both. His novel Sarajevo Firewood, was shortlisted for the 2020 International Prize for Arabic Fiction. His other novels are The Book of Errors which was published in 2013, and Forty Years Waiting for Isabelle which won the 2017 Katara Award for Arabic Novels.
Alexander Elinson teaches Arab literature at Hunter College in NY. He has translated two novels by Youssef Fadel: A Beautiful White Cat Walks with Me and A Shimmering Red Fish Swims with Me, which was shortlisted for the 2020 Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation.
