Told through repeated refrains like a prayer recital or affirmation, this is a fast, lyrical read. Each short chapter finds narrator Fatima, French of Algerian descent, examining the different, often conflicting, layers of her identity and the rules structuring her world – her faith, sexuality and family. Fatima’s generous honesty carries us with her, and makes for a sometimes abrasive, exhilarating and enlightening sharing of experience.
My name is Fatima Daas.
I'm Muslim, therefore I'm afraid:
That God doesn't love me.
That He doesn't love me the way I love Him.
That He'll abandon me.
Of not being the person I'm 'supposed' to be.
Of questioning what God has commanded me to do.
Of being left to my own devices.
Of waking up in the middle of the night, terrified.
