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As Rich as the King (Hardback)
Abigail Assor (author), Holly Ovenden (designer), Natasha Lehrer (translator)Published: 03/08/2023
WINNER OF THE FRANÇOISE SAGAN PRIZE
WINNER OF THE BOOKSTAGRAM PRIZE
SHORTLISTED FOR THE GONCOURT PRIZE FOR DEBUT NOVEL
'With this book, Abigail Assor announces herself as one of the most distinctive voices in North African literature. This is a vibrant, sensual, subversive novel with an unforgettable heroine' LEÏLA SLIMANI
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Sarah is poor, but at least she's French, which allows her to attend Casablanca's elite high school for expats and wealthy locals. It's there that she first lays eyes on Driss. He's older, quiet and not particularly good looking-apart from his eyes, which are the deep green of thyme simmering in a tagine. Most importantly, he's rumoured to be the richest guy in the city.
She decides she wants those eyes. And she wants a life like his.
But to get to Driss she will have to cross the gaping divide that separates them and climb to the top of the city's society, from street corner merguez and chips to a mansion overlooking the ocean.
Provocative, immersive, sensual, As Rich as the King is a twisted love story and a bittersweet ode to Casablanca.
Publisher: Pushkin Press
ISBN: 9781782278900
Number of pages: 224
Dimensions: 216 x 135 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
With this book, Abigail Assor announces herself as one of the most distinctive voices in North African literature. This is a vibrant, sensual, subversive novel with an unforgettable heroine - Leïla Slimani
In this richly evoked story set in a city of two very distinct halves, Assor draws a rich and rather damning portrait of life between haves and have-nots in contemporary Morocco, striking a balance between desire and delusion - Marie Claire
Don't let its French prize-winning status fool you: this is a pleasurable, even filthy summer romance... This confident debut suggests that Assor may prove a worthy successor to Sagan. She has certainly earned her prize money with this dirty beach read about motorbikes, moody teens and misplaced desire on the Moroccan coast - The Times
The sounds, the smells, the gritty details of every scene are laid bare in a light as harsh and bright as the sun... A captivating novel - Le Figaro
Casablanca stretches out before our astonished eyes, humming with rage and life... A captivating debut - Lire
Abigail Assor's writing is precise, sensual, subversive and wildly lyrical. Astonishing - Le Parisien
Stunning in its truth, cruelty and style - Paris Match
Earthy and colourful, lyrical and sensual, mordant and dizzying, Abigail Assor's style carries the reader off to faraway places - Baz'art
The shooting star of French literature... Her style is powerful, poetic, precise, clever and rousing. Whoever can write like this, without affect, drama, acrobatics or tricks is a great writer - Kultur & Service
[Assor] grew up in Casablanca in the Nineties and her knowledge of the city comes screaming through, via her gorgeously poetic prose... An utterly stunning novel - Mark Wheywood, Behind the Spine
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“Bewitching”
I was really charmed by so much in this story. The characters were a little fluid, but I feel, in a way, that this made Sarah's infatuation with Driss the ever more encompassing. The descriptions of Casablanca... More
“A Devastating Novel of Poverty and Pride”
Sarah is dirt poor. She lives in the slums of Casablanca. Her French heritage means that she is allowed to go to the best school in the area and her beauty means that she is able to exploit her way into the hearts and... More
“A dazzling, truly immersive social novel and love story”
This atmospheric novel simply embarks you on a trip to the streets of Casablanca. I have never been to Casablanca but I could see the sunsets, feel the warmth of the evening sun, smell the smells of street-corner... More
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