As Rich as the King

(Hardback)

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Description

A coming of age tale and twisted love story, set amid the beaches, streets and mansions of Nineties Casablanca. Sarah is poor, but at least she's French, which allows her to attend the city's elite high school for ex pats and wealthy locals. It's there that she first lays eyes on Driss. He's older, quiet and not particularly good looking - apart from his eyes, which are the green of thyme simmering in a tagine. Most importantly he's rumoured to be the richest guy in the city. She decides she wants those eyes. And she wants a life like his. But to get to Driss she will have to cross the gaping divide that separates them and climb to the top of the city's society, from street corner merguez and frites to mansions overlooking the ocean. Provocative, immersive, sensual, As Rich as the King is a twisted love story amidst the streets of Casablanca.

Reviews

'With this book, Abigail Assor announces herself as one of the most distinctive voices in North African literature. This is a vibrant, sensual, subversive novel with an unforgettable heroine' - Leila Slimani

'The sounds, the smells, the gritty details of every scene are laid bare in a light as harsh and bright as the sun... A captivating novel' - Le Figaro

'Casablanca stretches out before our astonished eyes, humming with rage and life... A captivating debut' - Lire

'Abigail Assor's writing is precise, sensual, subversive and wildly lyrical. Astonishing' - Le Parisien

'Stunning in its truth, cruelty and style' - Paris Match

Author Bio

Abigail Assor was born in Casablanca in 1990. As Rich as the King is her debut novel. It won the Francoise Sagan Prize, the Bookstagram Prize and was shortlisted for the Goncourt Prize for Debut Novel in France, and is now being translated into 6 languages.