The sixth child of siblings dominated by patriarchal expectations, Mehdi is seen as an aberration: “Being the sixth child was blasphemy. Mehdi was the embodiment of blasphemous birth.» For his austere and devout father, the number 7 symbolizes an absolute divine order. But oh sacrilege, while revolting in his village, young Mehdi falls in love with his father’s beautiful second wife, Fatima. This illustrates the condition of women in an implacable system: “Offered at the age of fourteen to Haj Abdessalam, she went from the carelessness of a child to the responsibility of a wife.» His relationship with Mehdi is marked by an ambiguous attraction. This forbidden link is described as an act of emancipation: “She no longer dreamed of love, she lived it; she lived it clandestinely, with this incredible excitement that danger provides.» For Fatima, Mehdi becomes an escape from her alienating existence and an incarnation of her long-repressed desires.
The intimate scenes between Fatima and Mehdi, described with a sensual and lyrical style, underline the ambivalent nature of desire: “Eros was jealous. Since then, and while the others slept, the two lovebirds climbed the slopes of voluptuousness to the heights of ecstasy.» Tragedy looms when Mehdi chooses to flee this impossible love: “Cautiously, he filled his bag with a few clothes… and set off before the first light of dawn broke.» Fatima, devastated by this abandonment, sinks into a mystical delirium. His fall, in the novel, will be inexorable.
Wandering in Fez and the inner metamorphosis
Mehdi’s experience in Fez is a brutal plunge into marginalization and indifference. Forced to eat in trash cans and sleep on the ground, he suffered humiliation and contempt from the townspeople: “His pride suffered, but hunger twisted his stomach and did not allow him to behave.» The city, far from being a refuge, becomes a hostile arena: “City dwellers are not country dwellers. They have greed in their genes, suspicion in their minds.» From adventure to adventure, Mehdi thus discovers a dark side of humanity, eclipsed by individualism and hypocrisy. In his search for shelter, he turns to mosques, hoping to find hospitality and comfort there. However, he only receives distrust, exacerbating his disenchantment.
Mehdi’s wandering marks the beginning of a radical transformation. His experience in Fez leads him to reject his role as victim to embrace a new identity: “Three months of hardship (…) were enough for him to decide to change his skin. A long metamorphosis was triggered within him. It was only just beginning.» The struggle, although painful, becomes a catalyst for his awareness and his determination to forge a new destiny.
A reflection on human dualities
Mehdi is a deeply contradictory character, an antihero whose journey leads inexorably to a tragic end, until he commits the irreparable. His rationalization of transgressive acts is based on personal logic: “Haram is that which causes harm; never what feels good.» The disturbing relationship he establishes with a young boy in the Koranic madrasa, where he works as an fqih, illustrates this moral complexity: “This is how Mehdi’s days passed: during the day, he taught the precepts of Islam (…); in the evening, he tamed Houcine’s body.» He is torn between his role as spiritual guide and his darkest instincts.
Likewise, his carnal and frenetic relationship with Karima, the daughter of his benefactor, in Moulay Yaäcoub, reveals a double life. This religious man, apparently devoted to the mosque, also shows himself capable of the most despicable acts. Little by little, Mehdi sinks into total confusion, unable to distinguish right from wrong.
“The fourth book”, echoing the three books of monotheism, explores with finesse the dualities between the ideal and reality, solidarity and indifference, piety and hypocrisy. Through the character of Mehdi, the story plunges into a world of deep contradictions. Faced with a society where proclaimed religious values often mask cynical and hypocritical behavior, Mehdi develops a disillusioned vision of the world. The story constantly oscillates between faith and transgression, revealing a protagonist who is both captivating and disturbing.
-Reconciling faith and humanism
Through the character of Mehdi, “The Fourth Book” provides an incisive critique of the yawning gap between the values advocated by religious figures and the often contradictory actions they take in the shadows. More broadly, the work calls into question the very structure of religious and social institutions, questioning their role in the perpetuation of norms which, very often, only serve to mask hypocrisies.
Inhabited by a radical vision, Mehdi sinks into an obsession: to purge the sacred books of all traces of violence and to construct a new text, a fourth book which he sees as a saving reinterpretation of dogmas. This almost mystical quest is tinged with a form of rebellion. The weight of his past sins, the disapproval of those around him, and his own guilt constitute all obstacles to his project.
Mehdi embodies a living paradox: a man steeped in contradictions, in search of purity, but entangled in his faults and his instincts. The reader ultimately wonders: will he succeed in writing this revolutionary work, this hypothetical “fourth book”? And above all, what will its message be? A reconciliation between faith and humanism? A definitive critique of dogmas? Through this quest, the novel explores the limits of faith, the tension between tradition and reform, and the quest in a world that oscillates between ancient certainties and modern doubts.
Writing supported by psychological introspection
Mokhtar Chaoui’s work is distinguished by its engagement with societal issues and its exploration of human complexities. The style is rich and immersive, alternating between lush descriptions and philosophical dialogues. His writing, marked by a freedom of tone, contributes significantly to contemporary Moroccan literature, offering new and daring perspectives.
“The fourth book” enriches the literary repertoire of Mokhtar Chaoui, already the author of notable titles such as “Allow me, Madame, to repudiate you” (Eddif, 2007), his first novel, “Refermez la nuit” (Eddif, 2007), a collection of poems revealing great sensitivity, or even “This is not a mirror” (Mesnana Éditions, 2021).
“The fourth book”, by Mokhtar Chaoui, 280 pages. Éditions Le Lys bleu, 2024. Public price in France: 21.30 euros. Soon available in Morocco.
Related News :