The Road to Fez

by Ruth Knafo Setton

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.

Genres: Fiction, Jewish, Morocco

208 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2001

About the author

I was born in Morocco and raised on tales of wonder. My novel, ZIGZAG GIRL, is a finalist for the International Thriller Writers Award for Standalone Book of 2026. It's about magic, murder, and mystery in Atlantic City. In the words of the great Allison Gaylin: "Packed with suspense, romance, a wonderful cast of characters and deep, dark family secrets, ZIGZAG GIRL is a truly magical read. I couldn't put it down!"

Check it out:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

You can learn more about Zigzag Girl, my writing, and me on my website: https://ruthsetton.com/

I write a monthly newsletter, "Tips, Tricks & Tea with Ruth." Here's the latest installment:

https://ruthsetton.substack.com/p/zig...

Reviews

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has this book come back into print?

[Hajar Allali · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best forbidden love story ❤

[lj · Rating 3 out of 5]

the incest was a bit too much for me … 2.75

[Audrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. Don’t bother

[Ann Dallman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes a book can transport the reader back to a treasured time and place. The Road to Fez does just that. The sights, sounds, and smells of Morocco all returned to me the moment I began reading this enchanting novel. But another feeling also returned to me. Once again I experienced what it feels like to be a young woman who is newly in love. For Brit Lek, the central character of this novel, that experience is much stronger for occurring in an exotic locale.

Eighteen-year-old Brit, a young American woman born to Sephardic-Jewish parents, has returned to Morocco, the country of her birth and where she spent the first six years of her life, to fulfill a dying wish of her mother. She is to make a pilgrimage to Fez and to the shrine of Suleika, a 19th-century Jewish martyr revered by both Arabs and Jews.

Brit is welcomed back to the family home in Morocco. There, she prepares for her pilgrimage to Fez and the grave of Suleika, a 19th century Moroccan martyr who was executed for refusing to renounce her faith. But it is also there where she falls in love with Gaby, her mother’s much younger brother. Gaby moves easily between the Jewish Mellah and the Arab Medina and exposes Brit to life outside the family compound. The two eventually travel together to Fez. Discoveries are made, and temptations given into along the way which help to turn this journey into one of unexpected arrivals.

What amazed me about this novel is its many layers. The author masterfully weaves the sights and sounds and smells of Morocco with descriptions of its Arab and Jewish populace. This provides a rich background on which to build the stories of her main characters. Particularly impressive is her accurate descriptions of both Brit and the charismatic Gaby. She masterfully captured both the male and female character with all of its complex desires, insights, and stubborn behavior.

This past winter I reread The Road to Fez. It was my cold weather escape, a vacation to warmer climes and ay trip into the lives of others--provided by a masterful story teller.

Ann Dallman
author: Sam English: The Life, Work and Times Of An Artist

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took a seminar on Philip Roth with Professor Setton my fifth year at Lehigh and it changed my perspective on reading, education, and my understanding of religion. One of the things I loved about Professor Setton was that she took us on a journey together - she was experiencing the text with us and some of them for the first time. All opinions were equal and valid. I have wanted to read her novel ever since and am so glad I did. I will admit this was difficult to follow at first and I struggled with the alternating narrators and moving back and forth through time. I actually preferred the voice of the male lead over the female lead which was surprising to me. What I can say about this book is that the writing itself, if not the overall construction, was phenomenal. Just as we discussed with regards to Roth, there were sentences that were just beautifully crafted. It was quite frequently poetic in nature. The language is strong, rich, and evocative. I enjoyed this for a number of reasons but mostly to reconnect in a way with an old professor that made a profound difference in my life though she probably doesn't know it and wouldn't remember me at all.