Zeniter, A: Take This Man

Today, Alice is going to marry Mad. They have been friends since childhood. They have played together, cried together, and taken stands against injustice together. Today, Alice is going to marry Mad-not because after years of friendship they have suddenly become romantically involved, but because Alice is white and French, and Mad is neither. Despite having spent almost his entire life in France, Mad, born in Mali, is now being threatened with deportation. Today, Alice is going to marry Mad-because getting married seems the only possible solution to Mad's predicament. Today, Alice is going to marry Mad, and for Alice this step marks the end of adolescence, the end of her years of innocence and the start of adulthood.

In lyrical and colloquial prose, Alice Zeniter tells a tender generational story about love, politics, rebellion, and friendship. Take This Man is a delightful work of fiction by a talented young author.