A book in which you may lose yourself in reading and find yourself when you put it aside; an enriching work... sympathetic and humane. The narrative is compelling and there is a rich cast of well observed, or remembered, characters... He presents life as it is, and hints at what it might be
Scotsman
This tale of family, love and war unfolds in Algeria before and during the armed revolt that led to independence. Caught between two worlds, its hero, Younes, is a sympathetic witness to the doctrines that divide people, and to the passions that may reunite them
Independent
Includes brilliant descriptions of the city's slums and the beauties of the countryside
Times Literary Supplement
Moving... This story is about the power of the individual to stand up to history
Daily Telegraph
Khadra's novel, set almost entirely in Algeria, has wonderful lyrical passages and is distinguished by its sympathetic intelligence...Khadra writes with a beautiful lucidity
Scotsman
Once a counter-terrorism officer in Algeria, now a French-based writer of sophisticated political thrillers under a pseudonym, "Yasmina Khadra" here returns home, and digs further into the roots of violence.... Rich in incident and character (and ably translated by Frank Wynne), the novel shows us from within the colonised Algeria that Camus - as he acknowledged - could only glimpse an outsider.
Independent