My book club read this book and in general, we were disappointed. We were slightly thrown off by the fact that it was written by an Algerian man under a woman's name. We found it well-written in places but uneven.

Ironically -- because the author clearly wants to Send an Important Message about women in Islam -- we were most disappointed with the depictions of women. The first part of the book painted a complex and realistic portrait of Zunaira, the young magistrate, but after she is arrested she disappears and is just The Silent, Beautiful Woman coveted by Atiq. And don't get us started on Atiq's poor wife -- she suffers and suffers in silence, while her husband only feels sorry for himself, then generously offers to sacrifice herself so Atiq can be with Zunaira. Harrumph.