Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami

Review by Kirsten Mullin

The short:

Hope and other dangerous pursuits is a short novel that follows the lives of four Moroccan migrants as they attempt to cross the Strait of Gibraltar from Morocco into Spain. The novel explores the lengths that people will go through in hope of a better life.

The long:

The book is split into three major parts: “The Trip” which chronicles the main characters' attempt to cross the strait of Gibraltar, “Before” which provides insight into the lives of the characters before the trip, and “After” which follows the characters following the attempt.

The motor breaks during the journey, forcing the passengers to swim the remainder of the journey to Tarifa. Only two characters, Aziz, who is fleeing to Spain to secure work and send money back home, and Faten, a young woman who was expelled from school for her extreme political views, make it to Spain. The other two, Murad, an unofficial tour guide in Tangier, and Halima, a woman escaping her abusive husband, are apprehended by the Spanish police and subsequently returned to Morocco. The novel follows the lives of the four characters in parallel and demonstrates the challenges that come with both leaving and staying.

To read or not to read:

Read! The book is really short, I read it in one sitting. Because it switches between different character’s experiences, it reads more like a collection of short stories.