Brotherhood - by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr (Paperback)

About the Book

"A novel about cowardice and courage in the face of repression, from a powerful new voice of French-African literature. The imaginary country of Sumal is a happy place, until, that is, it's taken hostage by a fundamentalist jihadist organization called The Brotherhood. The populace quickly becomes locked in a climate of violence, falling under the control of the militias as they impose silence, terror and the most rigid moral laws. Prohibitions and public executions become the norm, while a handful of intellectuals try to oppose the new order by publishing an underground newspaper. Repression on the part of the Islamic police is swift and ruthless, and it sows doubt in the minds of the activists: how can their endeavour be good, if it causes detention, torture, and worse, to those who read it? But there is no climate of terror that can stop love from blossoming, and so it does, powerfully, among two members of the secret resistance group, as love and death tangle together. This, and the wider story, are narrated through letters exchanged by the young couple's grieving mothers."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

WINNER of the French Voices Grand Prize, Prix Ahmadou Kourouma, and Grand Prix du Roman Métis

Mohamed Mbougar Sarr's searing and thought-provoking debut novel, Brotherhood takes place in the imaginary town of Kalep, where a fundamentalist Islamist government has spread its brutal authority.

Under the regime of the so-called Brotherhood, two young people are publicly executed for having loved each other. In response, their mothers begin a secret correspondence, their only outlet for the grief they share and each woman's personal reckoning with a leadership that would take her beloved child's life.

At the same time, spurred on by their indignation at what seems to be an escalation of The Brotherhood's brutality, a band of intellectuals and free-thinkers seeks to awaken the conscience of the cowed populace and foment rebellion by publishing an underground newspaper. While they grapple with the implications of what they have done, the regime's brutal leader begins a personal crusade to find the responsible parties, and bring them to his own sense of justice.

In this brilliant analysis of tyranny and brutality, Mbougar Sarr explores the ways in which resistance and heroism can often give way to cowardice, all while giving voice to the moral ambiguities and personal struggles involved in each of his characters' search to impose the values they hold most dear.

Review Quotes

"Sarr's prose soars... A novel that concerns itself with finding freedom where there seems to be none."--The New York Times Book Review

★ "Haunting philosophical questions demonstrate Sarr's powers, and his story succeeds in speaking to both the reader's head and heart. This introduces a vital new voice to American readers."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Sarr pays moving tribute to the courage of everyday people with this examination of survival and sacrifice."--Booklist

"Mohamed Mbougar Sarr's first novel is a master stroke."--L'Humanité

"Reminiscent of novels by 19th century masters, Sarr's novel is tense, gripping, terrific."--Le Temps

"A raw but shockingly beautiful book. The author gives voice to the victims of totalitarianism in this emotionally engaging debut."--Sololibri

"Sarr display(s) uncanny abilities to transport the reader into the lives of oppressed groups - the peaceful Muslims of Kalep -- showing just how unfair and cruel life has been for some of them."--On the Seawall