“As Welcome to Paradise begins, Aziz and his shivering cousin are seated in a café waiting to cross the Strait of Gibraltar. The cousin, suffering from a dreadful stomachache, has soiled himself in a fit of nerves, and the outraged waiter has just thrown them out. They join other would-be illegal immigrants gathered in Tangier, now hiding on the beach, where dogs or police can spell disaster, where a crying baby can destroy them all. Tonight is the night. As they huddle on the beach, we learn their backstories and meet the families they’ve left behind. Binebine tells all these stories through Aziz in a spare, straightforward style, creating a compelling cast of characters ready to risk everything to get across the Strait. By the time they reach the last hours and prepare to attempt the crossing, the reader has been drawn into intense identification with their hopes and loves and fears. The final stretches are agonizingly suspenseful, with a painfully believable ending that stays true to Binebine’s heartbreaking commitment to his characters and his determinedly humanistic, profoundly touching vision.”—Nick, University Book Store, Seattle. Buy Welcome to Paradise from University Bookstore.
Face Out
Welcome to Paradise by Mahi Binebine, trans. by Lulu Norman
April 7, 2012