Fourteen short stories by the late Moroccan writer.
Moustadraf writes about the injustice of living in a patriarchal society, the violence marginalized groups are subjected to, and how identity is shaped under these circumstances.
A transgender sex worker reflects on how little acceptance she
has experienced in Just Different, in Woman: A Djellaba and a Packet of Milk a mother contemplates…mehrFourteen short stories by the late Moroccan writer.
Moustadraf writes about the injustice of living in a patriarchal society, the violence marginalized groups are subjected to, and how identity is shaped under these circumstances.
A transgender sex worker reflects on how little acceptance she has experienced in Just Different, in Woman: A Djellaba and a Packet of Milk a mother contemplates suicide when she is unable to find formula for her infant son, in Briwat a young man longs for a girl who made the most delicious fried pastries, and in Housefly, a young mother considers having an affair.
These stories are intentionally bleak. I can't think of a single good thing to come out of these stories, often they're filled with abuse and discrimination (thankfully not in graphic detail but if you feel uncomfortable with any of that please read the trigger warnings beforehand).
To me, this collection maybe more than others felt like a mosaic where each piece is not that remarkable but as a whole paints a picture of patriarchal structures and gender norms in contemporary Morocco. Worth a read if you want to know more about the region but you should have some basic knowledge about cultural practices there.
