A novel focused on the inexorable, irreversible, agonizing fate of all those facing persecution—those whose only choice is to abandon their country. — ELLE

A sounding board and a window into the universe of Algeria with its cargoes of ghosts. — Libération

A poetics of absence at its core, reminiscent of Modiano…a novel about memory (and sometimes oblivion). About Judaism as a palimpsest for lost love. — Sud-Ouest

The 1990s: Emily and Daniel meet in law school in Bordeaux and fall in love. Emily is an American from the midwest, sensitive and shy; Daniel Atlas is an Algerian Jew whose stylish pose hides a tormented history. When civil war breaks out in Algeria, he returns to El Biar, where he finds his parents threatened and isolated. This illustrious family of merchants, anchored in Algeria for a thousand years, remains true to their homeland through French colonization and independence. While their community disappears around them, they choose to stay.

2016: Becca, a young American looking for her roots, travels to Algiers to understand the meaning of the Atlas legacy. Through a delicate and deeply touching personal history, set against the backdrop of political upheaval, Maison Atlas propels us through the meanders of love in a time of war.

• The tragic destiny of a Jewish family in colonized and independent Algeria
• Two lovers torn apart by the forces of history
• A universal tale of exile, separation, and transmission