ABOUT
THE BOOK

A novel on the 19th century French colonization of Algeria. In a bid to forestall a revolt, Napoleon III dispatches France’s top magician, hoping an exhibition of his powers will impress rebellious sheiks with the superiority of European civilization. But the magician’s wife–events are seen through her eyes–finds Arab civilization superior. By the author of The Statement. A novel set at the beginning of French rule in Algeria documents the lives of illusionist Henri Lambert and his wife, Emmeline, who are drawn into a plot to further the French imperialist drive into North Africa and subdue the rebellious Arabs