Book: Secret Son by Laila Lalami

Both a page turner and an insider's take on a stratified Moroccan world, the novel Secret Son leaves the reader yearning for more. It is a story which chronicles many lives, their decisions, aspirations, and despairs. The big drawback is that Secret Son unfolds at a breakneck speed, so while there are some passages which take take the time to elaborate on characters' emotions or histories, these are rare moments. This reader finds herself wanting to linger and learn more, only to be pushed forward for the sake of a pressing plot line. Ironically, the line itself abruptly breaks off, and this reader wonders, "Is my book missing pages, or is this really how the author ends it?" Significantly, the quality of the writing suffers from the lack of detail and inquiry. Perhaps the reader will have to look to Lalami's second novel, a sequel to Secret Son, to have her desire for an extended treatment of character and scene satisfied--and to know the fates of the people she was forced to abandon at crucial moments of their lives.