The Last Friend

Captivating novel about the trials and tribulations of a life-long friendship in a country torn apart by colonialism that really hit home. It made me call my own friendships into question, and contemplate how our manifestations of both jealousy and loyalty towards others can be gravely misunderstood. I liked the short 2-3 page chapters, and this combined with a modest choice of vocabulary (although sometimes a little vulgar) made it a very quick read for me.

A very good narrative, descriptive of friendship among young morrocan teen boys, coloquial form, makes you feel you are in Morroco.

Friendship is very important to me, and this slim novel by Moroccan writer Ben Jelloun is an eloquent inquiry into its nature and limits. Ali and Mamed (Mohammed) first meet as children at a French school in Tangier in the early 1960s, and each narrates half the book. Ali goes first, establishing the history of their friendship, their shared interests (film, literature, girls), romantic conquests, travel abroad for university, arrest for suspected subversion, marriages, and Mamed's relocation to Sweden. From the opening pages, the reader it told that there has been a rupture in their friendship, and the section climaxes with a confusing and infuriating conversation between the two that appears to mark this ending. This is immediately followed by Mamed's section, which returns to the start of their friendship to retell its history from his perspective. Rather than contradicting Ali's account, Mamed's story adds depth and texture to their relationship -- including his heavily conflicted feelings about leaving behind his native country. It is Mamed who encapsulates the central "problem" of such close friendship, when on page 131 he says "We were two open books. We could see right through each other, and deep down I didn't want that." And as his version of the story progresses, we learn of the secret he's kept from Ali, which is the basis of their schism. Through this friendship and it's dissolution, Ben Jelloun explores the nature of jealousy and loyalty. Of particular interest is their friendship in relation to their marriages -- neither is wholly satisfied by marriage, and their intelligent wives are jealous of their friendship. At the same time, the book provides a nice portrait of the multicultural influences on modern Morocco, from the historic Spanish connection to more contemporary Westernizing forces. Ultimately, however, the book revolves around the question how an intense friendship evolves over time and how even the closest of people can make tragic miscalculations.

The two men in this short novel by French-Moroccan writer Ben Jelloun tell a story of friendship that lasts from their youthful years in school to middle age, when they are both professional men with wives and children. The bond between them has been deepened by shared adversity - they are punished as young men for their political activities - but they are also kindred souls, drawn to long talks about matters both serious and puerile, and to Western culture, especially films. Their careless and puzzled attitudes toward girls lead in later life to marriages that are neither as deep or as emotionally grounded as their friendship. When one man abruptly breaks off their long-standing relationship - something we know from the fist page - the mystery of this sudden rift sets up a perspective from which we view their story as each tells it. Finally, the book is an exploration of the mystery of friendship itself. The last pages are a beautifully articulated testament to the power of friendship to both enrich our lives and lead us into self-contradictions that are beyond fathoming. WARNING: The editorial reviews above give away much of the story. Best to avoid reading them if you prefer discovering and pondering the plot turns, as they occur, for yourself.

The Last Friend chronicles thirty years of friendship between Ali and Mamed. Set in Morocco and Sweden, both Ali and Mamed narrate the lifecycle of a friendship that ends in betrayal, hurt and distance. This translation from French is lyrical, insightful, brutal and gentle. You'll think of your friendships after reading this....and Mamed's troubling decision.