Women of Algiers in Their Apartment (Caribbean and African Literature)

Questions About Women of Algiers in Their Apartment (Caribbean and African Literature)

by Assia Djebar

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I am really finding this book somewhat confusing, but really good once I started to understand bits of it. I hear a lot of talk about the book's ambiguity and how it adds tension, but I don't see this aspect, nor do I understand it. Can someone please explain what is ambiguous about this novel or what aspect of it makes the readers want more? Thanks.
Samantha I think the fact that the Algerian culture is so unknown is what adds most of the ambiguity. We're getting a glance inside a culture we've heard about…moreI think the fact that the Algerian culture is so unknown is what adds most of the ambiguity. We're getting a glance inside a culture we've heard about, yet it's so different from how we perceived it. I think the purpose of the novel is to remove the ambiguity surrounding the culture while demonstrating that these men and women are just like us in a way. They suffer, they love, they hurt. They have entire lives we've never really heard about. This book is the first time I've read anything about Algerian culture and it's been eye opening.

I also think that the violence in the novel adds tension and ambiguity. They never really show you the violence that's happening, but it's alluded to often and you see the aftermaths of it through the characters perspectives. People they love/know have died, their homes have been taken. Many of the women want freedom, and they want to return to their homeland. (less)
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