The Road to Fez [Hardcover]

Ruth Knafo Setton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 6, 2001

A gorgeously written, erotically charged first novel of a young woman's spiritual journey in Morocco The Road to Fez tells the story of Brit Lek, a young American woman born to Sephardic-Jewish parents. Seeking solace and a sense of belonging after her mother's death, 18-year-old Brit returns to Morocco, her birthplace and home for the first six years of her life. Brit falls in love with her Uncle Gaby, her mother's much younger brother. Gaby and the rest of the family try to steer Brit's emotional energy away from him, and they urge her to fulfill her mother's wish that she make a pilgrimage to Fez to the grave of her namesake Suleika, a 19th century Moroccan martyr, who was executed because she would not renounce her faith. Gaby, who moves easily between the Jewish Mellah and the Arab Medina, offers a window for Brit to see beyond the confines of their family's life in Morocco. Together, Gaby and Brit take the road to Fez and along the way surrender to their forbidden love. The Road to Fez is a magical journey of self-discovery.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Brit Lek is 18. She has returned to her grandmother's house in Morocco from America, where she was raised, to fulfill her mother's dying wish, to visit the grave of Suleika, a Moroccan-Jewish girl, martyred in Fez. But the house has another refugee, Brit's uncle, Gaby, her mother's younger brother. Living as a recluse since the death of his wife, Gaby leaves his room only to work and pursue his love of sculpting in clay, but he captivates Brit with his intensity and his disregard for the fear and limitation that still define Moroccan-Jewish life in 1969. She becomes obsessed and pursues him, negotiating the narrow bridges between Jewish and Arab, ancient and modern, girlhood and adulthood, women and men. Setton gives us a glossary of Arabic and Judeo-Arabic terms and plunges into a world of living history that is both richly drawn and ornately decorated. Some of Setton's prose is purple, but most is turquoise blue and gold, shimmering with the intensity of a character aggressively seeking her own fulfillment. Sharon Greene
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"A daring leap into a vivid, brutal, seductive realm of scent, sound, and longing." -- Rosa Shand, author of The Gravity of Sunlight

"A literary portrait of the most memorable 18-year-old in recent American fiction. [A] fine novel of love and self-discovery...." -- Diane Matza, Forward

"Stories of women that are compellingly dark and dangerous... Setton's skill in weaving legend, lore and life is awe-inspiring." -- Lilith

"Wonderful. ... such an interesting, scary, intense world, filled with passion and compelling characters, the mixture of cultures..." -- Diane Johnson

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Counterpoint Press; First Edition edition (March 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582430829
• ISBN-13: 978-1582430829
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,090,587 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A passionate novel of love and self-discovery, March 19, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Road to Fez (Hardcover)

18-year-old Brit Lek returns to Morocco to fulfil her mother's dying wish that she make a pilgrimage to Fez, visiting the grave of Suleika, a 19th century Jewish martyr revered by both Arabs and Jews. But she is distracted from her intentions when she falls in love with her mother's passionate, restless younger brother, Uncle Gaby -- who is also the town womanizer. Gaby tries to break free from the restrictions on his life as a Jew in Morocco by working with Arab potters and creating art that speaks a universal language. The Road To Fez is a passionate novel of love and self-discovery. Author Ruth Setton has a knack for bringing truly original characters to her splendidly engaging story that linger in the mind long after the novel is finished and set back upon the shelf.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Sirens call you to Fez, July 29, 2001

By 

Priscilla Prisms (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Road to Fez (Hardcover)

If you've never been to Fez, you'll feel like you have after reading Ruth Knafo Setton's 'The Road to Fez'... She creates and successfully sustains an abstract atmosphere of tension and mystique throughout the story, all the while her descriptions of the land and its characters are so vivid and concrete they are almost tangible. The colors and the smells of a land and time so removed from ours, stick with you long after the last page is turned. Very shortly after starting her story, you'll become familiar with a way of life described so intimately, you are startled to remember that Brit, the main character, is actually not wholly of this magical place. Even Brit has to pull back from her daily experience to remember she has options to return to her former life in the US. The land and people are so real and intense that you, as a reader, will become part of it as well. If you hear the Sirens calling you to read this book, listen to them.!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tale of passion, March 10, 2001

By 

Jennifer G. (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Road to Fez (Hardcover)

Ruth Knafo Setton was my literature professor for three years. I literally took whatever class she taught. It didn't matter because I knew that she would transform the subject with her unique blend of passion, intelligence, humor and brilliance. She is the best teacher I have ever had, and it is no exaggeration to say that she has changed my life. I was impatiently waiting for her book to come out, and now that I've read it, I am thrilled to see that she writes with the same passion with which she teaches and relates to people. I think everyone who's ever been fortunate enough to be in one of her classes will agree. She's the best! Read The Road to Fez! It will definitely live in your mind. It's hot, no doubt about it, but even more, it's the kind of book you want to hug to yourself, like a secret joy.