by Ryad Assani-Razaki
—Winner, Robert Cliche Prize 2011—
—Finalist, 2011 Governor Generals Award for French-Language Fiction—
In an unnamed African country devoured by rampant urbanization and haunted by the mirages of Western prosperity, where for a few CFA francs a child can be bought and sold for slavery, Toumani’s earliest education is in the tolerance of suffering. He endures one master then the next, holding his survival—his very self—with open hands.
For Iman, a black and white biracial boy with an elusive presence, the only viable option appears to be an escape to bountiful Europe, where everything must be easier. Obsessed with this idyllic elsewhere to the point of losing himself completely, he remains, for those close to him, an object of fascination difficult to define.
When Iman reaches out his hand to rescue Toumani from certain death, he sets in motion a friendship that may satisfy their need for connection but cannot fundamentally change their circumstances. What is the point of survival without hope for a more livable future? And what happens to them when they both love the same girl?
In this stunning translation of Ryad Assani-Razaki’s award-winning debut novel, dreaming is luxury that few can afford. And yet, however inadvisedly, Iman dreams.
Publication: Spring 2025
Publisher:
House of Anansi Press
Rights sold:
- North America, English: House of Anansi Press
- World, French: l’Hexagone
- German: Verlag Klaus Wagenbach
“[The Hand of Iman] confirms the value of this writer’s work. A strong work endowed with an extraordinary sensitivity, which takes into account both the commitment—child trafficking, the burdens of the colonial past, the condition of women, emigration, run through the novel, and the aesthetic requirements that literary creation assumes.” –Le devoir
“[…] a work as layered as it is urgent …” –The Globe and Mail