Dreams of Maryam Tair: Blue Boots and Orange Blossoms (Interlink World Fiction)

An exciting debut and a wonderful work of magical realism. Outside of time, the legendary storyteller and queen Sheherazade tells a little girl a story that has happened and is yet to happen, the rebirth of a story ancient and forgotten. Dreams of Maryam Tair: Blue Boots and Orange Blossoms brings readers to a Casablanca of myth and metaphor; curses and student revolts; and of witches, demons, djinns, and bureaucrats. Long after Biblical Adam set aside forgotten first-wife Lilith for Eve, star-crossed highborn Leila and scholar Adam catch the attention of the demons during Casablanca's 1981 Bread Riots, and are disappeared. Months later—after centuries in the demons' lair—Adam and Leila reunite at her parents' once grand and now cursed house as shadows of themselves. But Leila returns from her ordeal pregnant with a special, singular child, one who draws out magical beings and has the power to change everything. A daughter she named Maryam, born with the scent of orange blossoms and a body filled with pain. Seamlessly interweaving a sprawling, multi-generational family tale with ancient creation stories, Mhani Alaoui's cyclical half-myth half-reality story celebrates the radical power of disobedience. AN EXCITING DEBUT AND AN INSPIRING WORK OF MAGIC REALISM Outside of time, the legendary queen Sheherazade tells a little girl a story that has happened, and is yet to happen. Dreams of Maryam Tair brings readers to a Casablanca of myth and metaphor, of curses, witches, djinns and demons. But it is also a very present-day Casablanca: a raw, pitiless landscape of crumbling urbanism and rusty ports, of bureacrats and student revolts, and of a deep human solitude. During the Casablanca Bread Riots of 1981, a child is born to a mother surveilled and detained. She is born with the scent of orange blossoms and a body filled with pain. They call her Maryam Tair. A special, singular child, she is prophesized to carry three perfect giftsand one relentless curse. Richly evoking a world where magic abounds and age-old secrets are revealed, Mhani Alaoui seamlessly interweaves stories ancient and forgotten with a sprawling multigenerational family saga. Outside Of Time, The Legendary Queen Sheherazade Tells A Little Girl A Story That Has Happened, And Is Yet To Happen. Dreams Of Maryam Tair Brings Readers To A Casablanca Of Myth And Metaphor, Of Curses, Witches, Djinns And Demons. But It Is Also A Very Present-day Casablanca: A Raw, Pitiless Landscape Of Crumbling Urbanism And Rusty Ports, Of Bureaucrats And Student Revolts, And Of A Deep Human Solitude. During The Casablanca Bread Riots Of 1981, A Child Is Born To A Mother Surveilled And Detained. She Is Born With The Scent Of Orange Blossoms And A Body Filled With Pain. They Call Her Maryam Tair. A Special, Singular Child, She Is Prophesized To Carry Three Perfect Gifts'and One Relentless Curse. Mhani Alaoui. Outside of time, the legendary queen Sheherazade tells a little girl a story that has happened, and is yet to happen. Dreams of Maryam Tair brings readers to a Casablanca of myth and metaphor, of curses, witches, djinns and demons. But it is also a very present-day Casablanca: a raw, pitiless landscape of crumbling urbanism and rusty ports, of bureaucrats and student revolts, and of a deep human solitude. During the Casablanca Bread Riots of 1981, a child is born to a mother surveilled and detained. She is born with the scent of orange blossoms and a body filled with pain. They call her Maryam Tair. A special, singular child, she is prophesized to carry three perfect gifts and one relentless curse