Wedding by the Sea

Nostalgia for an imagined past drives this fable-like first novel of diaspora and return, winner of the 1996 Best Literary Debut Prize in Holland and the Best First Novel in a Foreign Language award in France. Lamarat Minar's father moved the family to Ollanda (Holland) when Lamarat was six months old and his mother was pregnant with his sister. Nineteen years later Lamarat and his family have returned to their native village in North Africa for his sister Rebekka's marriage to their uncle Mosa, who is looking to emigrate with a lovely young bride. When Mosa panics and races off to his favorite brothel the morning of the scheduled wedding, Lamarat is sent to find him. He enlists the help of local cab driver Chalid, whose running internal commentary functions as a Greek chorus to the drama unfolding in Iwojen. After Mosa is finally rounded up, Rebekka stages a ""wedding"" of her own in a violent confrontation that has elements of ritual sacrifice. Benali perfectly captures the shaky ground on which memory stands: Lamarat dreams of the North African life he might have lived as a Parcheesi champion; his father sends money to build a dream house that turns out to be rapidly falling into ruin, much like the family itself. Episodes of exile, family betrayal and violent catharsis are spiced with elements of magical realism. Lamarat can hear his unborn sister talking to him from the womb, saying ""Lamarat, you little twerp, are you out there, can you hear me?"" Benali's habit of interweaving songs with dialogue and narrative causes some confusion, but despite occasional difficulties in comprehension, the novel offers a colorful look at North African life and a playful appreciation of the backward-looking dreams of immigrants everywhere. (June)