Contemporary literature

Leïla Slimani, the renowned Franco-Moroccan writer and multiple award winner (including the prestigious Prix Goncourt), returns with the final volume of her The Country of Others trilogy, titled I Will Carry the Fire. This novel continues the story of Amin and Mathilde’s family, this time focusing on their daughter Aïcha, her husband Mehdi, and their children, Mia and Inès. The narrative spans a vast period, from Inès’ birth to Mia’s tumultuous youth, all the way to Amin’s death and Mehdi’s wrongful accusation of corruption.

It is impossible to ignore the similarities between Slimani’s biography and the events depicted in the novel – the line between reality and fiction seems particularly thin here. Readers may find themselves wondering how much of the story is drawn from the author’s own life and how much is purely fictional.

The novel’s greatest strength undeniably lies in its masterful psychological portrayal of characters. Whether due to Slimani’s autobiographical inspiration or simply her exceptional literary talent, each character is deeply layered. With their vulnerabilities, thoughts, and inner struggles, they transcend the page, making I Will Carry the Fire an utterly compelling read.

The title of the trilogy, The Country of Others, is highly symbolic. The novel’s characters are caught between cultures – Aïcha, Mia, and Inès navigate their dual French and Moroccan heritage, Mehdi and Fatima struggle against Morocco’s conservative reality, while others grapple with the challenges of integration in a foreign land. Slimani explores the rarely addressed themes of social alienation, internal exile, and national identity struggles.

The only minor flaw in the novel seems to be its narrative structure. The story opens with a first-person account from an adult Mia, a French-speaking writer battling long COVID. A few pages later, the narrative shifts to Rabat, where an omniscient narrator focuses on Mehdi’s career, before finally returning to Mia’s voice in the last pages as she visits her grandparents’ abandoned farm. While it is clear that the story is meant to be told from Mia’s perspective, the presence of an omniscient narrator in the middle part of the book somewhat disrupts this cohesion.

Despite this slight inconsistency, I Will Carry the Fire is a must-read and, so far, the best book I have read in 2025.