La désirante by Malika Mokkedem (review)

love. Eight such experiences, each of which has a title, are described in the novel. In one episode, the narrator, lost amid the stands of a Communist rally staged for propagandistic purposes, comes across a young woman whose ethereal beauty and serene presence startle him. She is sitting alone, totally absorbed in grief over the death of her lover. For the narrator, this sorrowful woman represents love itself in its absolute and pure truth. Although this encounter lasts only seconds, it is eternal for the narrator, for the reality of his negative and finite world is both transcended and put in perspective. Indeed, after seeing this woman, everything pales in comparison, for the narrator now views Communist ideology, in fact all ideologies, as meaningless lies and hypocritical abstractions: “La vérité était dite par le silence de cette femme, par sa solitude, par son amour si ample que même cet enfant inconnu qui descendait les marches en fut ébloui pour toujours” (46). In another episode, inspired to meet an elderly woman who met Lenin in her youth, the narrator, for whom Lenin was a mythical hero, goes into the country to track her down, only to come across a young girl named Maïa who is also seeking this same woman. In fact, this woman just happens to be the grandmother that Maïa has never found. After a long and futile search, Maïa and the narrator take leave of each other. Suddenly the narrator, rushing to catch a train, turns around and sees Maïa running madly towards an elderly woman who is smiling at her. The sight of this young girl whose black hair is flying in the wind while the grass sways as she passes by, under the gray rainy sky, fills the narrator with deep love. This scene will remain with him forever, even though he most likely will never see Maïa again. For the narrator, this is a priceless moment of truth and love that has surfaced in an astonishingly surprising and unexpected way. Although the narrative of the other experiences outlined in the novel differs, the thematic fabric is similar. In all of them, the narrator finds ineffable moments of happiness in places that are grounded in the humble, the ephemeral, and the fragile. In his eyes, these intense, fleeting moments are often passed over or ignored by most men who prefer to build dreams with blocks of granite: “Cette obsession de la durée nous fait manquer tant de paradis fugaces, les seuls que nous puissions approcher au cours de notre fulgurant trajet de mortels” (81). Makine, a Russian-born French author, pours his Russian soul into this magnificent novel. Instead of writing in the abstract, he offers to the reader poignant, heart-rending stories that are written with masterful artistry, an artistry where poetry and literary sensitivity coexist with keen intelligence and perspicacity. University of Southern Maine Lucia A. DiBenedetto MOKKEDEM, MALIKA. La désirante. Paris: Grasset, 2011. ISBN 978-2-246-78348-0. Pp. 238. 17 a. De roman en roman, Mokkedem continue son parcours inauguré en 1999 par Les hommes qui marchent, guidée par cette volonté d’être une écrivaine capable de réaliser différents écrits qui s’inscrivent pleinement dans l’évolution de son être. Après une période autobiographique—Mes hommes (2005), Je dois tout à ton oubli (2008)—elle opte pour un autre genre dans La désirante, qui aborde un sujet d’actualité en se plongeant dans l’univers du polar. C’est un roman passionnant qui présente une histoire sinueuse dans son agencement, épousant des jeux de pistes d’une intrigue labyrinthique avec du suspense, de l’aventure et de l’amour. 994 FRENCH REVIEW 85.5 Mokeddem met en scène le récit de Shamsa, l’ensoleillée, surnommée aussi “la fille du désert” (14) qui, apprenant la disparition de son compagnon au milieu de la Méditerranée et refusant de croire à un accident, décide de partir à sa recherche en s’embarquant à bord du Vent de sable. Le pari s’annonce difficile et risqué, mais rien ne semble arrêter la “fille du...