by Laila Lalami
First published 2020
Driss Guerraoui crosses a dark intersection in a small California town when a speeding car strikes and kills him. The Moroccan immigrant's death sends shockwaves through his family and community. His daughter Nora, a jazz composer, returns to the Mojave Desert town she had escaped. His widow Maryam grieves while longing for Morocco. An undocumented witness named Efraín saw what happened but fears deportation if he speaks up. Detective Coleman investigates while hiding her own family troubles. Iraq War veteran Jeremy reconnects with Nora as old feelings resurface. Neighbor Anderson struggles to repair his fractured relationships. Each character carries secrets that slowly surface as they grapple with loss, identity, and belonging. The investigation reveals the fault lines that divide this community along race, religion, and class. Nora must confront her father's legacy and her own place in America while unexpected connections form between unlikely people.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, mystery, contemporary, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: California, Mojave Desert, Morocco
Period: 21st-century, Iraq War
320 pages · Paperback · BLOOMSBURY
Content warnings: racism