An important, and sadly all too relevant, hard-hitting account of three women fleeing their native lands in order to escape from untenable conditions, willing to risk their lives in the quest for a future. Shoshana, Semhar and Dima, from Nigeria, Eritrea and Syria respectively, of different faiths and backgrounds but all three displaced by war and economics. It’s a powerful story which gives background and substance to the stories we hear on the news, especially about the perilous boat journeys many migrants have to undertake. Violence, abuse, ill-treatment, hunger, what it’s like to travel across deserts and seas in the hands of ruthless traffickers – it’s all here, described in vivid detail. However, I did not find myself engaged in the story. The descriptive style is flat, repetitious and unadorned, feeling more like journalism than literary fiction. Many of the characters are types rather than fully-rounded characters and their interactions one with another sometimes feel contrived. A laudable, and largely successful, attempt to highlight the plight of migrants, but not a book that drew me in.

I loved the premise of this book and I was so keen to read it. However as I began, I struggled to continue. The storyline seemed so promising but I struggled with the writing style. Sadly, I did not finish it. It was not an enjoyable read.

A very important story that explores the nuances of immigrants fleeing various parts of Africa (we're talking Jews, Muslims, Christians, North, West, and South) and the various points of discomfort and unknowing and danger they face. I really liked Dalembert's sense of nuance especially in light of how monolithic "African migrants" are discussed in media but... not sure if it was the translation but this story dragged. A lot of set up for a somewhat hasty ending. Idk, it ended up not really being for me?

Over the years, there have been so many attempts to flee Africa and gain a new life in the countries of Europe. This is a well researched book about the true life experiences of many of these people and their troubles in attaining their dream. Nightmarish, brutal and upsetting experiences make this journey a death march for many. Sometimes difficult to read, but ultimately a very well written account of this experience.

In The Mediterranean Wall, Louis-Philippe Dalembert answers the simple question: “Who were the migrants, the wretched Other, knocking at wealthy Europe`s door in the summer of 2014?” by detailing the lives of three women from three nations. Shoshana, a black Jewish woman from Nigeria, is fleeing a persistent drought and desertification in her village. Semhar is a deserter from the infamous Sawa military camp in Eritrea. Dima, the Syrian migrant is fleeing the war in her home country with her husband and two daughters. The novel opens with a scene in the warehouse where the female migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa are held prisoners until they pay for their trip through their slave labour. The two black women are unaware that the Mediterranean leg of their journey is about to begin when they are picked by their smugglers after such long duration of imprisonment, deprivation, and abuse. Meanwhile, Dima from Aleppo, Syria and her family depart their three-star hotel in Tripoli to board the same boat for Lampedusa, Italy's southernmost island.

It is clear from the onset that the three strangers play important roles in each other`s lives at some stage in the journey. Dalembert makes this clear in his description of a minor incident while the women are embarking the trawler. The two young migrants` boarding is “blocked by an Arab lady who [is] unconcerned with the passenger flow behind her” (p. 20). Coming from a wealthier family, Dima does not shy away from expressing her disdain for the Black passengers, who she regards inferior. So, the book`s strength does not lie in its ability to create suspense: the reader knows there will be an attitude changing event on the boat and the scornful Dima will be embarrassed.

Rather, the novel`s success is hidden in its attention to the younger migrants` perseverance and naivety as well as the realistic description of abuses the migrants face at the hands of smugglers. Still, Dalembert`s narration is a little too heroic and embellished in his descriptions of Semhar and Shoshana`s actions during the journey across the Sahara and on the boat. The author is more observant of Dima`s racism and classism. Therefore, it would be an overstatement to claim that Dalembert portrays all three women in equally compassionate manner.

The most striking feature of the book in terms of content is its references to racism and classism. The migrants are separated based on the fee they have paid for the crossing. Described as “human cargo” by the traffickers, Sub-Saharans are pushed down to the suffocating hold and are treated like “unprofitable cattle” (p. 94). Arabs from the Middle East and the Maghreb occupy the deck. Very few privileged customers guarantee a hideaway bed or a blanket. Relatedly, the analogy between current irregular migrant smuggling and the slave transportation of the previous times is striking. The author references La Amistad, a slave ship transporting captured Africans from Spanish Cuba to the United States in 1839, by making Semhar remember Steven Spielberg's 1997 film Amistad as she entertains the idea to rebel against their captors (p. 234).

The Mediterranean Wall opens with the departure scene in Sabratha, Libya. Semhar and Shoshana are herded to the exit point. The author unveils the genealogy of each character’s migratory project gradually by journeying between different temporal and spatial zones. The novel is divided into three parts, each with different subsections that chronicle the lives of three women migrants: their lives before the trip, why they chose the dangerous path of migration, pre-departure preparation, deprivations and abuses they face during the journey, and the first days in Italy. The technique of recounting the events that took place on the boat from different angles is also worth noting. By repeatedly saying "truth must be told," Dalembert successfully alludes to the constructed nature of truth about irregular migration and migrants.

Although Dalembert underlines that the migrant characters each belong to a different religion and thus gives the impression that religion will underwrite migrants` experience, this strand remains pretty much unexplored. No passenger is treated better or worse than other migrants by the smugglers according to their perceived or observed religion. Likewise, the characters do not choose their companions based on the god they might be worshipping. Rather, comradery between the two younger women happens through their mutual suffering at the hands of their male captors and their inferior treatments as poorer “human cargo.” Prayer remains an individual affair between each migrant and their god; skin color and common language take precedence in determining what each migrant chooses to do.

If one reads The Mediterranean Wall with the #OwnVoices movement in mind, they may want to berate the author for attempting to account an experience they have not had and it would be unfair to the author`s creative skills. Initially, I had my doubts about a male author`s narration of female experience. I wondered: “What does a male author have to say about irregular female migrants` gendered experience of abuse in transit?” Dalembert overcomes this by refraining from overly graphic accounts. He leaves the details to adult readers` imagination.

The Mediterranean Wall is translated into English by Marjolijn de Jager. I must admit I was hesitant to read this novel in translation because I haven`t read de Jager`s any previous work and it is more common than not to encounter unreadable renditions of literary works in languages other than the one in which their authors imagined them. Alas, I am not able to read the novel in French and so decided to give it a try. I can never tell for sure how faithful the translator was to the original novel and will always feel that certain nuances may have been lost in translation. Nonetheless, de Jager`s translation looks fine.

The Mediterranean Wall could be part of undergraduate or graduate syllabi that focus on fictional and non-fictional narratives of irregular migration. It may, for instance, accompany Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits (2005) by Moroccan-American author Laila Lalami. It might also be studied together with Human Flow: Stories from the Global Refugee Crisis (2017), directed by Ai Weiwei. Finally, the novel will find its place on readers` shelves next to Exit West, a 2017 novel by Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid and a personal favourite though Dalembert`s novel is more sombre and less humorous in its rendition of irregular migration. The novel will appeal to general readers of literature of migration also.

This book ought to be required reading for all politicians who decided it was a good idea to send refugees back to Libya, to install an invisible wall around Europe.
The novel is roughly based on a real event in 2015 and it illustrates in harsh vivid colors the journey people endure to reach Europe and the reasons why they take on this immense risk.
Three women, three different stories, three different cultures and three different religions, different hopes, different bias, in common the desire for a better life in peace.
It's not an easy read, just as reality isn't easy. It helps to see immigrants as individuals and not as a mass or number invading our wolrd.

The time is certainly ripe for exploring the stories and fates of the world’s refugees. Joining other novelists such as Mohsin Hamid, Jeanine Cummins, and Christy Lefteri, Louis-Philippe Dalembert (author) and Marjolijn de Jager (translator) follow the forced migration through horrific dangers that refugees must endure to attempt to live a safe and humane life.

Despite its titular setting, The Mediterranean Wall opens with images reminiscent of stories of refugees to the southern border of the United States. Clearly the widespread issue has reached the concern of writers and humanitarian aid groups; now, the challenge is in the hands of politicians and economic influencers. One can only hope that continued attention will add the pressure necessary to induce action on their part.

While the point of the book is important and clear, it is really a mediocre read. The syntax feels somewhat belabored, a strange mix of overly formal and very casual/cliche phrasing. Without the benefit of multilingualism, it is impossible to pinpoint this to the original text or the translation. The plot moves quickly enough without sacrificing important details, and the characters are at times well fleshed out and engaging.

Thank you to Louis-Philippe Dalembert, Marjolijn de Jager, Schaffer Press, and NetGalley for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.