In 1980s Casablanca, Farah arrives from her small town life with big dreams: she wants to sing. She meets Outhman, but he longs to leave the city, to seek his fortune elsewhere. They fall in love, but trouble brews on the horizon.
A bitter struggle rages over construction of the monumental Hassan II Mosque—it will destroy their neighborhood but the government insist this is a necessary sacrifice for the good of Morocco. The two young lovers find themselves caught up in events beyond their control, and in a world that seems to work against their happiness at every turn.
A Shimmering Red Fish Swims with Me is a narrative tour de force: one of power plays and petty jealousies, deceit and corruption, written with masterful attention to detail.

Shortlisted for the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation

Reviews

“[Fadel’s] books are full of hopeful, human interactions; through these, the reader is able to catch a glimpse of a better world.”—The New Yorker

"Masterfully translated. . . A Shimmering Red Fish Swims with Me will draw readers into a world that, on the surface, may be unfamiliar, but is, in fact immediately recognizable for what it reveals about our human desires, flaws and triumphs."—Elizabeth Nunez, author of 'Prospero’s Daughter'

“[Fadel is] a valued asset of modern Moroccan literature.”—Aujourd’hui Le Maroc