Sex and Lies

'Striking.' ELLE France
'Brave.' iNews
'Powerful.' TLS
'Urgent.' Evening Standard
'Original.' Cosmopolitan

In these essays, Leïla Slimani gives voice to young Moroccan women who are grappling with a conservative Arab culture that at once condemns and commodifies sex. In a country where the law punishes and outlaws all forms of sex outside marriage, as well as homosexuality and prostitution, women have only two options for their sexual identities: virgin or wife. Sex and Lies is an essential confrontation with Morocco's intimate demons and a vibrant appeal for the universal freedom to be, to love and to desire.

'Leïla Slimani has a knack for breaking taboos. . . Sex and Lies is well executed: the novelist paints vivid portraits of her interviewees.' The Times

'Slimani trusts in her outrage, in the force of her own voice, and the voices of the women she listens to.' Guardian



A collection of poignant testimonies on the condition of women in Morocco... Leila Slimani gives readers one of the secrets of women's emancipation: access to knowledge and the power to share it with other women. Sex and Lies [is] an important book. -- Ariele Bonte ― RTL France

[Slimani] has collected the confidences of Moroccans of all ages and all generations suffocated under the weight of taboo and misogyny, in order to write Sex and Lies. The words of these shocking and courageous women resonate for a long time after reading this striking book. ― ELLE France

The award-winning French-Moroccan author makes her first foray into non-fiction. Shedding light on the diverse experiences and attitudes towards sex among young Moroccan women - Slimani interviews 15 different women across 18 chapters - Sex and Lies is a searing insight into what can be sexual double standards in conservative Middle Eastern cultures. This makes for page-turning reading not just because Sex and Lies distances itself from orientalist tropes but it offers an insight - and crucially, celebrates - how Moroccan women are redefining attitudes to sex on their own terms. ― AnOther Magazine

Reflections on Moroccan society and culture. An original book, given that Middle Eastern women's approaches to sex and sexuality has often been rendered invisible. ― Cosmopolitan

Slimane moves beyond her usual territory of sex addicts and murderous nannies and instead sets her sights on sexual politics in Morocco. ― Elle

Slimani trusts in her outrage, in the force of her own voice, and the voices of the women she listens to. ― Guardian

This book of impassioned pleas, and of human impulses that resonate, is one step to more women breaking free. ― Evening Standard

Leïla Slimani has a knack for breaking taboos. Sex and Lies is well executed: the novelist paints vivid portraits of her interviewees. ― The Times

Brave. . . Sex and Lies is a continuation of a theme for Slimani: nobody wins when the true nature of our selves is hidden for the sake of appearances. ― iNews

A stirring call to arms for Moroccan women. ― TLS