The End of the Sahara
Said Khatibi
The End of the Sahara by the young Algerian author Saïd Khatibi won the prestigious 2023 Sheikh Zayed Book Award.
The story is set in 1988 Algeria. It takes place in just forty days, ending as mass protests erupt in the country. In a small town on the edge of the desert, plagued by a locust infestation and a food shortage, teetering on the brink of uprising, the body of Zakia Zaghouani—the singer at the Sahara Hotel—is discovered. Suspicion immediately falls on her lover, who is thrown into prison. The incompetent and greedy Inspector Hamid begins an investigation. So does the defence lawyer of the main suspect. Family, friends, and close ones give their testimonies, finding themselves confronted with their past. Secrets, betrayals, grudges, dreams, and hopes shed light on their connection to the victim: each person harbors, for one reason or another, the desire to take revenge on her.