Barqa

About this book

In the old lanes of Miliana, Barqa is born under a cloud of scandal and mystery, physically different and immediately cast out. Fate carries him from the hidden chambers of a shrine to a life as a skilled tailor creating garments for the powerful. Against the expansion of French colonial rule, he falls in love across boundaries of class and religion while struggling with the community that rejected him and the soil that sheltered him. Bongar Abdel Nour's historical novel asks whether Barqa is a victim seeking recognition or a man whose wounds drive him toward betrayal. It is a tale of marginalization, belonging, and the elusive possibility of forgiveness.