Description

WINNER OF THE FRANCOISE SAGAN PRIZE

FEATURED IN CHANEL

SHORTLISTED FOR THE GONCOURT PRIZE FOR DEBUT NOVEL

‘With this book, Abigail Assor announces herself as one of the most distinctive voices in North African literature. This is a vibrant, sensual, subversive novel with an unforgettable heroine’ LEILA SLIMANI

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Sarah is poor, but at least she’s French, which allows her to attend Casablanca’s elite high school for expats and wealthy locals. It’s there that she first lays eyes on Driss. He’s older, quiet and not particularly good looking-apart from his eyes, which are the deep green of thyme simmering in a tagine. Most importantly, he’s rumoured to be the richest guy in the city.

She decides she wants those eyes. And she wants a life like his.

But to get to Driss she will have to cross the gaping divide that separates them and climb to the top of the city’s society, from street corner merguez and chips to a mansion overlooking the ocean.

Provocative, immersive, sensual, As Rich as the King is a twisted love story and a bittersweet ode to Casablanca.

Publisher Review

“Don’t let its French prize-winning status fool you: this is a pleasurable, even filthy summer romance… This confident debut suggests that Assor may prove a worthy successor to Sagan. She has certainly earned her prize money with this dirty beach read about motorbikes, moody teens and misplaced desire on the Moroccan coast.”
–The Times (UK)

“In this richly evoked story set in a city of two very distinct halves, Assor draws a rich and rather damning portrait of life between haves and have-nots in contemporary Morocco, striking a balance between desire and delusion.”