I was also struck by Hassan’s sensitivity to being a foreigner in England and France. When he hears his girlfriend’s friends refer to him as a “nègre blanc” behind his back, he feels “a moment of disappointment.” Hassan says, “Immigrants, by instinct, we like to keep our heads down.” As an expat, these sentiments resonated with me.

Mr. Morais’ reading at Orell Füssli really brought the story to life. To get a taste of the evening, listen to his interview on NPR’s The Diane Rehm Show. A video on Amazon.com features Mr. Morais with Chef Floyd Cardoz of the Tabla Restaurant cooking their favorite dishes from the book. One was trotters soup, which Mr. Morais mentioned would be perfect to serve at a book club meeting.

Today I saw lamb trotters at Migros––just the thing for trotters soup––and now I think I’ll give it a go!

––Mary Seidler