A Bestseller and Winner of the 2005 Prix Renaudot

Mes mauvaises pensées is the confessional exploration of one young Muslim woman’s inner states, fears, desires and impulses. Taking the form of a discussion with her analyst, the narrator tells of her fascination for her father’s country, the sensual and violent Algeria she knew growing up. Themes of rootlessness tied to Bouraoui’s mixed- race origins, her relationships with her French mother, her family and her female lovers, all contribute to unravel the mystery of one woman’s personality along her journey to self-discovery. Speaking of her work, she says, “Writing is the earth, it’s Algeria regained, it’s the state of wilderness too: all of my love weighs upon the hand I write with; I write what I ought to have lived. I cover the departed land.”