Something Strange, Like Hunger

Malika Moustadraf is a cult feminist icon in contemporary Moroccan literature, celebrated for her uncompromising, troubling depiction of life on the margins and her stark interrogation of gender and sexuality in North Africa. Something Strange, Like Hunger presents the collected short stories by Moustadraf. Here, a light shines brightly on the unheard: a trans sex worker hustling on the streets; a wife kept home by her dominating husband, who passes the day flirting online with strangers; and two mothers who set out to thwart their prospective sons-in-law by falsifying their daughters' virginity tests. Through brilliantly executed twists and rich slang, Moustadraf takes an unflinching look at the female body and double standards around desire.