Content warning: violence, rape
I read the Dutch version, but I doubt there is an English translation available. It took me a long time to finish this one because we watched the movie Black in my French class, which combines parts of both books into one movie, so I was quite apprehensive. But, as it turns out, the endings are COMPLETELY different and I'm so glad that Back ends SO much better than the movie does. The movie gutted me almost as much as the first book alone did. Unfortunately, this second book felt less put together than the first, almost like an afterthought at times.
Based on stories from people who have really lived this kind of life, Bracke weaves a modern-day retelling of Romeo and Juliet in the form of Mavela and Marwan.
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
Mavela is a 15-year-old Black girl who has had to grow up far too fast due to her life as a member of the Black Bronx, one of the most dangerous and notorious gangs in Brussels. It’s a hard life and she’s forced to do horrible things just to survive. After being gang raped by all the male members of the Black Bronx - in the secret love nest she shared with Marwan - as punishment for daring to love someone who wasn’t Black, Mavela sets her sights on revenge against the entire gang…
Marwan is a 16-year-old Moroccan who has been shamed and kicked out of his own gang, the 1080s, for daring to dump his ex for a Black girl. But life outside the 1080s isn’t for him, so he pulls off a wild stunt with a stolen car to gain back their respect. It also brings a lot of attention to him, and not all of it is from his or other gangs. Plus, Marwan wants payback from his ex, since she's the one who revealed his relationship with Mavela, leading to her rape and his brief exile from the 1080s.
Despite everything they’ve been through, nothing seems able to break Mavela and Marwan apart for long, and they continue their dangerous liaison. But Mavela’s got the Black Bronx breathing down her neck and the police are hot on everybody’s tails, especially after Marwan becomes an accessory to robbery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Their very lives hang in the balance and everything depends on Mavela’s plan…