Algeria: Cousin K

Albert Camus is the best-known author from Algeria, but he is not the only one. Yasmina Khadra is another. It’s the feminine pen name used by the masculine Mohammed Moulessehoul, who served in the Algerian Army and wanted to avoid censorship. This particular novella is part of the French Voices series of translations at the University of Nebraska Press, which brings lesser-known French-language books to the Anglophone market.

And let me say, Cousin K is a seriously weird story. It might have been written as a horror story, or as a metaphor, or both. The book opens with the narrator’s account of discovering his father’s mutilated body after a political assassination. After that, it becomes clear that he is not entirely reliable, but the reasons for that are not clear. All of his relationships are difficult. And then, in the second part of the story, we see the effects of his difficulties,

I don’t know enough Algerian history to argue for this book as a metaphor, other than the usual line about how damaged people damage people. They damage institutions, too.

As a horror story, it’s well done. I appreciated the twist, and I was glad that I was not reading this right before bed.