A BOOKSHOP IN ALGIERS

KAOUTHER ADIMI

This charming book set in French Algieria would, for me, have been better as a reading book.  

 My reason is that as an audiobook reader it was difficult to catch all the names due to French pronunciation, which is not my forte.

From 1936 we followed  a small history of French Algerian authors whose manuscripts were printed as books through the bookshop of Edmond Charlot.  I don’t know many except for Albert Camus. Ryad, a young man who has to clear the bookshop shelves, becomes the narrator.

The discovery of the the simple notebooks of Edmond Charlot by Ryad reveals the former bookshop owner disliked writing himself which may explain the taciturn comments in his notebooks which we follow in sequence.  But he was dedicated to publishing  and promoting French Algerian writers.

Exampl: in the wwii times I read the heading Germany with interest but in his utilitarian style Charlot  revealed little of life in Algeria in wartime simply recorded his problems with money and paper , all sorely  needed for printing..  That was his life dream, printing books.

Ryad had to clear shelves and books.  From a bookshop dedicated to literature, he tried to give precious books away. However we read, sadly that …people don’t inhabit places, places are in people…