"This compelling, richly plotted novel of love and redemption, translated from the French into dense and fluid prose, follows the fortunes of mismatched lovers in warn-torn Algeria….A hopeful, tale that adroitly employs old-fashioned storytelling to denounce political oppression." —Entertainment Weekly

"Benmalek imagines a world where hope can exist for his characters and, by extension, for Algeria." —Time Out New York

“A study in contrasts, The Lovers of Algeria pits eroticism against terrorism in a compelling love story…. As the evocative language dramatizes its subject—terrorism and its consequences—the effect is chilling and relentless.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“Benmalek skillfully juggles time shifts and multiple characters; despite the political chaos he depicts, the reader never feels lost.” —The Washington Post Book World

"A captivating novel…Benmalek’s disjointed, dream-like treatment of time and his interweaving of romance and turbulent history will remind readers of Michael Ondaatje." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“But it is the violent images, flatly stated, that remain long after the book has been read. The novel ends with hope, with hard-earned faith in the ability of love to sustain the world’s bruises. But the bruises in the novel are such that you cannot help but gasp. Each day, as news trickles in about the 9/11 trials in Germany, the soldiers killed in Iraq, the torture photos and the violence on all sides, The Lovers of Algeria resonates more deeply—as a warning, one hopes, not an omen.” —Austin-American Statesman

"[The Lovers of Algeria]…is perhaps the most significant novel to come out of [France] since Camus’ early writings….Fiction should never be a kind of political wish fulfillment, but when scripted powerfully, it can imagine the impossible. In this searing and important tale, Anouar Benmalek has done just that." —Minneapolis Star Tribune

“A complex tale of love and personal loss inextricably connected to the era of Algeria’s war for independence….This deeply emotional story depicts the dehumanization and fragmentation of individuals, families, and a nation undergoing the struggle for independence. While tragic, it is also inspirational, as love ultimately triumphs.” —Library Journal, starred review

“Not only has Benmalek given us a vividly written, fabulously plotted, and well-paced story, so too has he given us the opportunity to examine the harrowing history of a country about which many of us know precious little.” —Harvard Review

"Solid, engaging, and agonizingly brutal." —Kirkus Reviews