N'zid

Malika Mokeddem. N'zid Paris, Seuil. 2001. 214 pages 98 F. ISBN 2-02-049136-2

N'ZID, MALIKA MOKEDDEM'S sixth novel in eleven years, bears a title in Arabic meaning both "Je continue" (I continue) and "Je nais" (I am being born). These definitions aptly depict the protagonist Nora's predicament: as the novel opens, she is suffering from amnesia brought on by a severe blow to her head and face. Literally and figuratively at sea, Nora must maneuver her sailboat alone on the Mediterranean as she strives to recapture the lost thread of her personal story. Hence, she is caught up in the double activity of enduring the elements and becoming reacquainted with herself; this is simultaneously a continuation and a rebirth. The expression "N'zid?" uttered on the VHS radio also triggers Nora's first remembrances. The tension between what she accomplishes automatically and what she rediscovers piecemeal about her identity gives the novel a suspenseful quality. Additionally, geographically accurate descriptions of the Mediterranean region in which Nora finds herself contrast sharply with her...