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Dreams from the Endz
Dreams from the Endz
Jul 17, 2025 7:41 PM

Author:Faiza Guéne,Sarah Ardizzone

Dreams from the Endz

Dreams from the Endz is the story of twenty-four-year-old Ahlème, who is spirited, sassy and wise but has more problems than she knows how to deal with. Her father, The Boss, is permanently disabled after an accident on a building site, her sixteen-year-old brother, Foued, has been permanently excluded from school and seems intent on joining the drug-dealers who share their estate, while she is left to deal with the guilt trips from their family back in Algeria. But when she returns home - after a ten-year absence - she brokers a kind of truce, both with her homeland and the need to forge a future.

Reviews

Guène is too important a writer to dismiss because she conveys a generally unsettling message... she deserves to be heard

—— Independent

Super-young, super-cool and fast becoming known as one of the hottest literary talents of multicultural Europe, Guène takes us on a tour of the tough suburbs of Paris and Algeria, where having the wrong-colour passport sentences you to a half-life. Our heroine is an unforgettable narrator...it's a funny, intimate and timely book by one of the stars of tomorrow

—— Sunday Telegraph

It's not an exaggeration to suggest that Guène is diong for the people, especially the youth, of the banlieu what James Kelman and Agnes Owens have done for the deprived of Glasgow's housing schemes; that is, give a voice to those who have been excluded from literature...Guène is very evidently a natural novelist, a young writer of real talent

—— Scotsman

Alhème has a wit, wisdom and charisma that puts the reader firmly on her side as she does her best to find the small scraps of hope she needs to keep her going in tough situations ... Alhème's story gives a voice to people who are more frequently merely voiceless statistics

—— Metro

Guène interweaves political commentary skilfully with daily routine through the voice of Ahleme... Guène does not shy away from discussing difficult issues... This is a novel well worth reading

—— Socialist Review

Dreams from the Endz is the extraordinary second novel from France's talented young writer Faïza Guène... Moving from Paris to Algeria, Guène's witty and engaging writing details the impact of politics on everyday lives and what happened when people cannot achieve their dreams

—— Aesthetica

Refreshingly easy to slip in and out of...slang-filled and sassy.

—— TheBookbag.co.uk

Very well written and well translated. Alheme is a very appealing protagonist...and importantly, she's one of the only young muslim women in fiction that I've ever found authentic. This is fresh, fascinating literature - and look out for the extremely appropriate last sentence.

—— Keir Hind , The Skinny

Emerging from both the new multicultural Europe and the deprived housing schemes surrounding its cities, this book gives a voice to those who are rarely allowed to share their experiences with the mainstream.

—— Alastair Mabbott , The Sunday Herald Arts & Books

Refreshingly easy to slip in and out of.

—— www.thebookbag.co.uk

This is a witty and tender story told with great compassion that nevertheless manages to make forceful political points

—— The National

Justly Booker longlisted last year, this debut is a dazzling one-off

—— Hermione Eyre , The Observer

Provocative and comic debut.

—— The Times

A true touch of originality ... showcases a promising new talent.

—— Colin Waters , Sunday Herald

Dry, droll and insightful

—— The Independent

Bodice-ripping romp through the West

—— Times

Missy by Strong and memorable female characters throughout this enjoyable novel

—— http://meandmybigmouth.typepad.com/scottpack

Witty and effortlessly fluid. His books are laugh-out-loud funny

—— Arabella Weir

The funniest writer ever to put words to paper

—— Hugh Laurie

The greatest comic writer ever

—— Douglas Adams

P.G. Wodehouse wrote the best English comic novels of the century

—— Sebastian Faulks

Sublime comic genius

—— Ben Elton
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