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Dune Song
I came to the Sahara to be buried.
After witnessing the collapse of the World Trade Center, Jeehan Nathaar leaves her New York life with her sense of identity fractured and her American dream destroyed. She returns to Morocco to make her home with a family that's not her own. Healed by their kindness but caught up in their troubles, Jeehan struggles to move beyond the pain and confusion of September 11th. On this desiccated landscape, thousands of miles from Ground Zero, the Dune sings of death, love, and forgiveness.
After witnessing the collapse of the World Trade Center, Jeehan Nathaar leaves her New York life with her sense of identity fractured and her American dream destroyed. She returns to Morocco to make her home with a family that's not her own. Healed by their kindness but caught up in their troubles, Jeehan struggles to move beyond the pain and confusion of September 11th. On this desiccated landscape, thousands of miles from Ground Zero, the Dune sings of death, love, and forgiveness.
368 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
November 5, 2018
Novel set in New York and Morocco - taut, lyrical with a good sense of place
Jeehan Nathaar, an American born Muslim, watches from her office window as the twin towers of The World Trade Centre collapse. Traumatized by the event, Jeehan is further tortured by the relentless questions her colleagues throw at her, “Why do you hate us?” “I heard it said that it might be Arabs or Muslims … what the hell did we ever do to them?” At first, Jeehan tries to give them a bit of a Middle East history lesson and attempts to explain that she is American and loves America, but it falls on deaf ears and eventually she is “let go” from her position.
Having already abandoned her doctoral dissertation, the events following September 11th make Jeehan feel that she must discard her American dream in its entirety and flee to Morocco, her father’s birthplace. She and her Moroccan journalist friend, Ali, have plans to start working on a story about migrants crossing the Moroccan Desert – something he believes will become the story of the century. But Ali fails to materialise at Casablanca airport so Jeehan heads for the remote dune town on her own, struggling to cope with language difficulties, lack of money, an extremely hazardous journey and a mysterious and sinister man in a yellow turban who seems to be following her. When she finally arrives at La Rose des Sables, the small hotel on the edge of the desert, she becomes very ill and is cared for by the family who run it, despite their own very grave troubles.
Dune Song is certainly an exciting read. Large sections of it read like a thriller and it totally engages the reader as they try to unravel exactly what is happening at La Rose des Sables. The novel’s narration shifts rapidly back and forwards between New York, following the dreadful events of September 11 and Morocco from the point when Jeehan lands at Casablanca and the speed of the shifts makes it feel disjointed and leaves the reader feeling pretty confused. This irritated me at first, but then I began to think that perhaps Bouziane had intended this – to let the reader experience some of dislocation and disorientation that Jeehan feels.
Bouziane’s novel isn’t without flaws; pacing is a bit problematic, as there is a lengthy hiatus in the midst of the fast-flowing narrative while Jeehan struggles with what seems to be an interminable illness and it’s hard not to feel that the philosophical elements of the novel, incorporating the ancient wisdom of the Moroccan people and the mystical healing of Jeehan, don’t sit very comfortably with the rest.
Dune Song, is, however, beautifully written. Bouziane’s prose is taut and lyrical and she manages to create a very powerful sense of both New York and the Moroccan dunes. The sense of numbness and shock following that dreadful incident in New York is vividly conveyed and so too is the experience of being Muslim and constantly under suspicion. And then, in total contrast, she recreates for the reader, in prose that is closer to poetry in places, the beauty, the stillness, the emptiness and the peace of the Moroccan desert.
Jeehan Nathaar, an American born Muslim, watches from her office window as the twin towers of The World Trade Centre collapse. Traumatized by the event, Jeehan is further tortured by the relentless questions her colleagues throw at her, “Why do you hate us?” “I heard it said that it might be Arabs or Muslims … what the hell did we ever do to them?” At first, Jeehan tries to give them a bit of a Middle East history lesson and attempts to explain that she is American and loves America, but it falls on deaf ears and eventually she is “let go” from her position.
Having already abandoned her doctoral dissertation, the events following September 11th make Jeehan feel that she must discard her American dream in its entirety and flee to Morocco, her father’s birthplace. She and her Moroccan journalist friend, Ali, have plans to start working on a story about migrants crossing the Moroccan Desert – something he believes will become the story of the century. But Ali fails to materialise at Casablanca airport so Jeehan heads for the remote dune town on her own, struggling to cope with language difficulties, lack of money, an extremely hazardous journey and a mysterious and sinister man in a yellow turban who seems to be following her. When she finally arrives at La Rose des Sables, the small hotel on the edge of the desert, she becomes very ill and is cared for by the family who run it, despite their own very grave troubles.
Dune Song is certainly an exciting read. Large sections of it read like a thriller and it totally engages the reader as they try to unravel exactly what is happening at La Rose des Sables. The novel’s narration shifts rapidly back and forwards between New York, following the dreadful events of September 11 and Morocco from the point when Jeehan lands at Casablanca and the speed of the shifts makes it feel disjointed and leaves the reader feeling pretty confused. This irritated me at first, but then I began to think that perhaps Bouziane had intended this – to let the reader experience some of dislocation and disorientation that Jeehan feels.
Bouziane’s novel isn’t without flaws; pacing is a bit problematic, as there is a lengthy hiatus in the midst of the fast-flowing narrative while Jeehan struggles with what seems to be an interminable illness and it’s hard not to feel that the philosophical elements of the novel, incorporating the ancient wisdom of the Moroccan people and the mystical healing of Jeehan, don’t sit very comfortably with the rest.
Dune Song, is, however, beautifully written. Bouziane’s prose is taut and lyrical and she manages to create a very powerful sense of both New York and the Moroccan dunes. The sense of numbness and shock following that dreadful incident in New York is vividly conveyed and so too is the experience of being Muslim and constantly under suspicion. And then, in total contrast, she recreates for the reader, in prose that is closer to poetry in places, the beauty, the stillness, the emptiness and the peace of the Moroccan desert.
May 7, 2020
Anissa Bouziane's opening pages of Dune Song quickly seizes the reader with a glance at the rich artistry they are about to lose themselves in.
After the collapse of the World Trade Center, the story centers between New York and Morocco. Jeehan's life changes drastically after seeing the catastrophic event. Is she be able to move past her mental scars and find who she once was?
"There was fear. My legs wanted to run. My arms wanted to reach. Pearls of sweat trickled along my spine, but ultimately the dune stole my fear, and I was left not with certainty of purpose, but with acceptance that this thing had to be done. My neck stretched up over the sand l. The women were only voices. There was only this body of mine trapped in the dune, a breath made shallow by the weight of the sand, and my eyes, inhabited by sky, a familiar immaculate blue sky made of air so tactile it was liquid."
This quote is one of the many that stood out to me the most in this book. Words can be so beautiful and poetic and, in the same breath, morph into a Kafkaesque nightmare.
I loved Dune Song by Anissa M. Bouziane because I was able to identify with the main protagonist as it deals with discrimination, trauma, mental breakdown, and aching to change but trying to find the courage to do so.
After the collapse of the World Trade Center, the story centers between New York and Morocco. Jeehan's life changes drastically after seeing the catastrophic event. Is she be able to move past her mental scars and find who she once was?
"There was fear. My legs wanted to run. My arms wanted to reach. Pearls of sweat trickled along my spine, but ultimately the dune stole my fear, and I was left not with certainty of purpose, but with acceptance that this thing had to be done. My neck stretched up over the sand l. The women were only voices. There was only this body of mine trapped in the dune, a breath made shallow by the weight of the sand, and my eyes, inhabited by sky, a familiar immaculate blue sky made of air so tactile it was liquid."
This quote is one of the many that stood out to me the most in this book. Words can be so beautiful and poetic and, in the same breath, morph into a Kafkaesque nightmare.
I loved Dune Song by Anissa M. Bouziane because I was able to identify with the main protagonist as it deals with discrimination, trauma, mental breakdown, and aching to change but trying to find the courage to do so.
July 25, 2017
A decent book but the formatting was super sloppy and distracting. The story itself wasn't very gripping for me but did have its allure.
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October 19, 2018Full disclosure: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
The author, Anissa M. Bouziane, has a French mother and a Moroccan father. She earned an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University. This is an English version of a book originally written in French and published in Morocco. The protagonist bears more than a passing resemblance to the author. Jeehan Naathar was born in the US to a French mother and a Moroccan father and though she lived in Morocco as a child, she decides to study in New York. Unfortunately, her supervisor dies before she is able to complete her Ph.D. on the Roman general Paulinus, whose legions were swallowed by the Moroccan desert.
Followed by misfortune, Jeehan starts her new job only to witness the collapse of the World Trade Centre from her office window. To make matters worse, her sister Rizzy, who had been living with Jeehan in New York, has just accepted a dangerous job posting in Sierra Leone. Left alone in New York, Jeehan makes a desperate attempt to salvage her life by setting off on a trip with her ex-boyfriend back to Morocco to write an article about people smugglers. But when her ex fails to show up at the airport in Casablanca, Jeehan is forced to face her fears on her own.
The novel is not really plot-oriented. It constantly jerks back between Jeehan’s present in Morocco and her past in New York, between the consequences and the source of the trauma.
When I originally picked up this book, I thought it would mostly be about the aftermath of 9/11 politically rather than personally. I could not be more mistaken. This novel reminded me of Brontë’s Villette, which I have been reading recently more than say of Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Dune Song is a study of depression, anxiety, even PTSD. Jeehan’s identity as a Muslim and an American shatters after the terrorist attack, and she finds herself constantly harassed by friends and acquaintances, “why do Muslims hate America so much?” Jeehan describes herself as made of stone, as talking of herself in past tense.
I enjoyed the second half of the novel far more than I did the first. Perhaps this is partially due to the things being described. It is usually a bit of a struggle to read about someone else’s inner darkness. The heroine is also very passive, which aligns exactly with the nature of her illness, but makes for little in terms of action.
Once Jeehan gets to the desert, things start happening – although I think this novel is still a far cry from a thriller, as it’s called on the blurb. It is much more akin to a parable, an allegory of healing: with its desert imagery, entwinement of physical and mental illness and the secret knowledge discovered during a journey to the desert.
The author, Anissa M. Bouziane, has a French mother and a Moroccan father. She earned an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University. This is an English version of a book originally written in French and published in Morocco. The protagonist bears more than a passing resemblance to the author. Jeehan Naathar was born in the US to a French mother and a Moroccan father and though she lived in Morocco as a child, she decides to study in New York. Unfortunately, her supervisor dies before she is able to complete her Ph.D. on the Roman general Paulinus, whose legions were swallowed by the Moroccan desert.
Followed by misfortune, Jeehan starts her new job only to witness the collapse of the World Trade Centre from her office window. To make matters worse, her sister Rizzy, who had been living with Jeehan in New York, has just accepted a dangerous job posting in Sierra Leone. Left alone in New York, Jeehan makes a desperate attempt to salvage her life by setting off on a trip with her ex-boyfriend back to Morocco to write an article about people smugglers. But when her ex fails to show up at the airport in Casablanca, Jeehan is forced to face her fears on her own.
The novel is not really plot-oriented. It constantly jerks back between Jeehan’s present in Morocco and her past in New York, between the consequences and the source of the trauma.
When I originally picked up this book, I thought it would mostly be about the aftermath of 9/11 politically rather than personally. I could not be more mistaken. This novel reminded me of Brontë’s Villette, which I have been reading recently more than say of Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Dune Song is a study of depression, anxiety, even PTSD. Jeehan’s identity as a Muslim and an American shatters after the terrorist attack, and she finds herself constantly harassed by friends and acquaintances, “why do Muslims hate America so much?” Jeehan describes herself as made of stone, as talking of herself in past tense.
I enjoyed the second half of the novel far more than I did the first. Perhaps this is partially due to the things being described. It is usually a bit of a struggle to read about someone else’s inner darkness. The heroine is also very passive, which aligns exactly with the nature of her illness, but makes for little in terms of action.
Once Jeehan gets to the desert, things start happening – although I think this novel is still a far cry from a thriller, as it’s called on the blurb. It is much more akin to a parable, an allegory of healing: with its desert imagery, entwinement of physical and mental illness and the secret knowledge discovered during a journey to the desert.
March 26, 2020
2.5, but rounded up, because because.
May 12, 2020
Enjoyable, pushes some limits at times with the narration, moments of divinity. Very much worth reading. Great American-Moroccan literature!
August 30, 2020
This is the first novel I've read from Moroccan author Anissa Bouziane. The story is about Jeehan Nathran, American born with Moroccan parents, whom following the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attack left the USA and came to the Sahara in Morocco. The story takes place mostly in the desert mixed with Jeehan's reflections on her experience during the 9/11 attack and the following months in NY.
I found the story slow to unveil as the leading character seems to be lost and uncertain of herself both in NY and the Sahara, not taking any action and slow to react. The entire story looks like a metaphor about death and life. It seems as if the leading character thinks that part of her died in NY when witnessing the attack from an office window and seeing Ground Zero, but wasn't yet reborn. Thus, her experience in the Sahara is part of her" own death and re-birth" to find a purpose in life among all the tragedies directly witnessed in the present or throughout History.
It is not an easy book to read and understand in many levels.
I found the story slow to unveil as the leading character seems to be lost and uncertain of herself both in NY and the Sahara, not taking any action and slow to react. The entire story looks like a metaphor about death and life. It seems as if the leading character thinks that part of her died in NY when witnessing the attack from an office window and seeing Ground Zero, but wasn't yet reborn. Thus, her experience in the Sahara is part of her" own death and re-birth" to find a purpose in life among all the tragedies directly witnessed in the present or throughout History.
It is not an easy book to read and understand in many levels.
August 10, 2018
This is a powerfully devastating novel, focusing on the East/West divide, language and cultural identity, human trafficking, and what it was like to be Muslim in post-9/11 New York.
I found the way the main character was treated in New York after the towers fell to be eye-opening and very shocking. Without being gratuitous, Anissa manages to shed light on life after a terrible tragedy that was not only personal, but became part of worldwide cultural memory.
Jeehan, American and Arab, returns to her childhood Morocco a ‘frightened cat’, her American dream dismantled. Instead of finding freedom, her experience in New York becomes as troubled as the place she’s left. Her return to Morocco focuses on the desert, illness, language and redemption, and is truly powerful.
I found the way the main character was treated in New York after the towers fell to be eye-opening and very shocking. Without being gratuitous, Anissa manages to shed light on life after a terrible tragedy that was not only personal, but became part of worldwide cultural memory.
Jeehan, American and Arab, returns to her childhood Morocco a ‘frightened cat’, her American dream dismantled. Instead of finding freedom, her experience in New York becomes as troubled as the place she’s left. Her return to Morocco focuses on the desert, illness, language and redemption, and is truly powerful.
July 10, 2019
Everything changes for Jeehan Nathaar, after witnessing the collapse of the World Trade Centre. Her American identity gets brutally shattered causing Jeehan to retreat from New York back to her birthplace. Thousands of miles away in Morocco, with fresh friendly faces, Jeehan cannot escape her memories of the 9/11 attacks and gets tangled in a different type of atrocity.
Chapter by chapter the setting shifts between the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in New York and the desert in the south of Morocco. From the minute Jeehan enters Morocco she is on a journey; her vision is blurry but as time goes on it gets clearer and clearer. And it’s after a burial ceremony in the dunes that Jeehan eventually starts to rebuild herself up from Ground zero.
...
There is something really colourful and poetic about the book, which considering the story, shouldn’t work but it does and it's so beautiful. The book is really raw yet mellow. Issues such as human trafficking appear in the book and I imagined the story would be typically action-packed and abrupt because of the emphasis on that topic but it's honestly nothing like that at all.
Full review on my blog site: https://www.frizzandgo.com/2019/07/bo...
Book gifted by Sandstone Press.
Chapter by chapter the setting shifts between the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in New York and the desert in the south of Morocco. From the minute Jeehan enters Morocco she is on a journey; her vision is blurry but as time goes on it gets clearer and clearer. And it’s after a burial ceremony in the dunes that Jeehan eventually starts to rebuild herself up from Ground zero.
...
There is something really colourful and poetic about the book, which considering the story, shouldn’t work but it does and it's so beautiful. The book is really raw yet mellow. Issues such as human trafficking appear in the book and I imagined the story would be typically action-packed and abrupt because of the emphasis on that topic but it's honestly nothing like that at all.
Full review on my blog site: https://www.frizzandgo.com/2019/07/bo...
Book gifted by Sandstone Press.
June 22, 2020
This is the story of Jeehan Nathaar. She leaves New York City for her home country of Morocco after the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings on 9/11. As a Muslim American, she was asked constantly why "her people hate Americans so much", and decides she needs to escape. Instead of returning to her parents, she neds up with a family in the desert who try to help her heal and find herself once again.
This book was pretty good. It started out strong - good writing, strong characters, a story that made me want to turn page after page. But soon - the story took a dip and I found myself not enjoying it quite as much as I had in the beginning. Jeehan is an adult but acted frequently like a lost child. And the story - once she was settled with the family in Morocco - wasn't as interesting as I was hoping it would be. Pacing seems to be a problem with the author.
This was better than my first choice of a book for Morocco. And the writing was pretty good as well. I just didn't enjoy the story in the second half of the book as much as the first.
This book was pretty good. It started out strong - good writing, strong characters, a story that made me want to turn page after page. But soon - the story took a dip and I found myself not enjoying it quite as much as I had in the beginning. Jeehan is an adult but acted frequently like a lost child. And the story - once she was settled with the family in Morocco - wasn't as interesting as I was hoping it would be. Pacing seems to be a problem with the author.
This was better than my first choice of a book for Morocco. And the writing was pretty good as well. I just didn't enjoy the story in the second half of the book as much as the first.
December 6, 2020
Challenges: Books Around the World 2020 - February/Morocco; Reading Women 2020 - By an Arab Woman (13). A work of fiction that mirrors the experience of the author as an Arab American living in the US at the time of the attack on the World Trade Center. The main character, Jeehan Nathaar, flees the US after several simultaneous disappointments and is restored to herself by the tempering of the North African desert. She comes out a much stronger woman. Her physical and psychic healing involves the final act of burial, which I note is practiced by Mexican healers here in the Americas, whose Spanish roots are influenced by the Moorish North African control of Spain for hundreds of years. The story kept me totally engaged; I wanted all the best to happen for Jeehan and the family she came to care for deeply.
October 29, 2024
Having the full perspective on this novel I think it’s an interesting dive into the psyche of trauma, displacement, and world travel. The characters somewhat frequently lack action or development and the plot similarly often feels stunted. I find these aspects largely intentional, and functionally effective when they move towards this fragmented narrative idea, but at the same time they leave some room to be desired out of this reading especially for an academic endeavor. I find that it falls so squarely middle of the road that there is enough to go off of for class yet some room left to explore what could have been in a story like the one described here. Perhaps knowing the story of its publication and the way which it travelled from French to US audiences helps to explain that too.
December 8, 2025
I have been reading books very quickly recently, but this book forced me to slow down and savor its lyrical storytelling.
As the story evolved, the narrator takes us deeper and deeper into her psyche and how she experiences the world as a Moroccan that lives in the US right after 9/11 and all of the issues she faces and the racism and double standards.
She takes us on this adventure into the Sahara as we meet different characters and the mix of how people view the west and their own beliefs and rituals.
This book is a mixture between a travel novel and a thriller.
A poignant MUST read.
I am so so happy I stumbled on this book. I highlighted and annotated a lot of things in this one because she addresses really important things and also, writes so well.
As the story evolved, the narrator takes us deeper and deeper into her psyche and how she experiences the world as a Moroccan that lives in the US right after 9/11 and all of the issues she faces and the racism and double standards.
She takes us on this adventure into the Sahara as we meet different characters and the mix of how people view the west and their own beliefs and rituals.
This book is a mixture between a travel novel and a thriller.
A poignant MUST read.
I am so so happy I stumbled on this book. I highlighted and annotated a lot of things in this one because she addresses really important things and also, writes so well.
September 30, 2019
I was drawn to this book for its theme of East / West identity. A young Moroccan / American woman flees her life in New York after the attack on the twin towers and the resultant hostility she experiences as a Muslim. She ventures deep into the southern Moroccan desert hoping to uncover the truth about immigrants crossing the Sahara towards a hoped for safe haven in the West. Her temporary demise in the desert had echoes of Paul Bowles, which she acknowledges, and much of the narration of the first third was somewhat repetitive, but ultimately this is well worth the read for its insight into the differences and similarities between Eastern and Western cultures.
November 28, 2018
It was a true pleasure to read this wonderful novel. It is beautifully and thoughtfully crafted. The story begins on the morning of September 11, 2001 in NYC, and takes the reader chapter by alternating chapter to the sands of the Moroccan Desert. I felt deeply involved and present in Jeehan's journey to heal, to understand and to find a way to go forward. This is Jeehan's story, but it is universal, as it deals with finding a place in this world.
March 8, 2019
I finished reading this book a few weeks ago, and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. It's beautifully written and the story is totally engaging but, when I got to the end I was just left wanting.
I still recommend this book. The turn of phrase is magical and the story is so powerful. An amazing novel of how the events of 9/11 set one women adrift onto a journey of discovery.
I still recommend this book. The turn of phrase is magical and the story is so powerful. An amazing novel of how the events of 9/11 set one women adrift onto a journey of discovery.
March 28, 2020
Some wonderful writing and a moving exploration of PTSD and the Arab/American experience after 9/11. Maybe wrapped up a little neatly but I'm not really complaining, as who wants a downbeat ending at the moment?
May 22, 2020
This was a fantastic novel about a young Moroccan-American woman dealing with the trauma of witnessing the 9/11 attacks first hand. She is not allowed to grieve for NYC, her city, because she is Moroccan and seen as the enemy.
February 6, 2024
2.5 stars
I found the initial storyline and the historical and cultural parts intriguing, but as it went on and digressed into a criminal scenario I felt it was rather cliched. And the ending was rather abrupt.
I found the initial storyline and the historical and cultural parts intriguing, but as it went on and digressed into a criminal scenario I felt it was rather cliched. And the ending was rather abrupt.
March 20, 2021
Beautifully written post-9/11 novel. Alternates between New York (just after 9/11) Morocco.
November 14, 2021
Very engaging writing for what turned out to be an imperfectly plotted, but still interesting, book.
August 10, 2022
Plot and characters don’t come together coherently. I didn’t find myself caring about the main character.
March 1, 2024
A page Turner, I really really enjoyed it. Doesn't get 5 stars just because it's not innovative and the writing style is sometimes not perfect.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews