I'll Take the Fire

A Novel

By: Leila Slimani, Sam Taylor - translator

Narrated by: Lara Sawalha

From one of the most fearless and captivating voices in world literature, a sensual and provocative coming-of-age novel about a young Arab woman on a quest for sexual and political freedom

“Leila Slimani is one of our best writers, a master stylist and an exquisite storyteller. I read anything she writes.” —Rabih Alameddine, National Book Award–winning author of The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother)

Q: If your house was burning down, what would you take with you?
A: I’d take the fire.
--Jean Cocteau

Mia Daoud yearns to be free. Growing up in socially conservative Morocco, her imagination fired by her banker father’s charisma and political idealism, her doctor mother’s feminist example and social conscience, and the boundless possibilities suggested by her favorite authors, she learns to go after what she wants, even if it means jumping through fire to get it. Determined to be true to her sexuality and to differentiate herself from her adoring younger sister, she sets out in search of her place in the world, from Casablanca to Paris to London, and against the backdrop of era-defining events like the fall of the Berlin Wall and 9/11, guided by a preternatural sense of justice and an unerring instinct for what makes her feel most alive. Combining vigorous poetry and unflinching bravery, Leila Slimani’s autobiographical novel is a rousing ode to living a life of purpose and consequence.

Critic reviews

“A joyful celebration of family and home . . . All Slimani’s characters shine, but her women are especially radiant.” —Kirkus Reviews

“This beautiful novel tells us the story of a battle fought by an Arab girl to discover herself and liberate herself from tradition. Leila Slimani has succeeded in creating a wonderful world that we will never forget, and that will always inspire us.” —Alaa Al Aswany, author of The Yacoubian Building

“Leila Slimani is one of our best writers, a master stylist and an exquisite storyteller. I read anything she writes.” —Rabih Alameddine, National Book Award–winning author of The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother)