Discretion - by Faiza Guene

About the Book

Alternating fragments from Yamina's Algerian past with those of her Paris present, Discretion spans the history of colonial conflict from the Second World War to the present day. A tribute to mothers everywhere, it is also the story of a modern French family feeling their way through the puzzle of their history - and finding one another as they go along.

Book Synopsis

Deftly moving between Algeria and Paris, bestselling novelist Faïza Guène's Discretion compellingly evokes the realities of a first- and second-generation family as they carve out a future for themselves in France, finding one another as they go along.

Yamina Taleb is approaching her seventieth birthday. These days, she strives for a quiet life, grateful to the country that hosts her and her adored family. The closest she gets to drama is scooping 'revolutionary' bargains in the form of plastic kitchenware gadgets.

But Yamina's children feel differently. They don't always fit in in Paris, and it hurts. Omar wonders whether it's too late to change course as he watches the world pass him by from the driver's seat of his Uber. His sisters are tired of having to prove themselves, and their allegiance, to a place that is at once home, and not. When the whole family goes away on holiday - not to the motherland, but to a villa-with-pool rental near the Atlantic coast - the Talebs come to realise just how family

defines our sense of belonging.

Alternating fragments from Yamina's Algerian past with those of her Paris present, Discretion spans the history of colonial conflict from the Second World War to the present day. A tribute to mothers everywhere, it is also the story of a modern French family feeling their way through the puzzle of their history - and finding one another as they go along.

Review Quotes

'Through the lens of an often-tender family portrait, the author delivers a biting portrayal of a France steeped in hypocrisy and false smiles, where equality of opportunity is all smoke and mirrors ... A novel that's bang on the money, coursing with a chillingly legitimate sense of grievance.' Slate

'Like
every accomplished novel, La Discrétion does so much more than tell a story. It asks questions ... Faïza Guène's mastery of her subject matter means she doesn't come down on either side but accompanies her
characters towards the light.' Le Monde Diplomatique

'Faiza Guene is an important voice in French literature, rebelliously dissecting ideas of home, identity and belonging with a universally accessible intimacy and power.' Diana Evans

'Wonderful. A vivid, soulful novel. Guène's Paris is a place of grifting and grafting where young rebels rub up against calcified traditions. This is a writer at the height of her powers, addressing issues of migration and belonging with defiance, zest and humour.' Bidisha

'One of the hottest literary talents of multicultural Europe.' Sunday Telegraph

About the Author

Faïza Guène is a bestselling and award-winning French Algerian writer and director. Spotted at a writing workshop at the age of eighteen, she made an astonishing literary debut with her international bestseller, Kiffe-Kiffe Demain (Just Like Tomorrow), which has been translated into more than thirty
languages. Her other novels in English include Dreams from the Endz, Bar Balto, and Men
Don't Cry. Guène has acquired a reputation as one of France's most unique contemporary literary voices. She has directed several short films and is a co-writer on Disney Star's mini-series Oussekine (forthcoming May 2022).