Seductive, erotic and bubbling with the most minute of details, "The Scents of Marie-Claire", set in Paris, tells of the extraordinary relationship between the Tunisian-born narrator and French Marie-Claire. From the moment they set eyes upon each other until the moment she leaves him, the narrator describes every stage of their relationship; sexual fascination, passion, love, jealousy, longing and destructiveness. The conflicts arising from the relationship between an Arab man and a Western woman are dealt with in a manner sometimes humorous, sometimes outright shocking. Living together under the same roof, the narrator discovers, for the first time, what it is to share full intimacy with a woman and, as he tells his story, he delves into his innermost thoughts and feelings, analysing the gradual growth and ultimate dissolution of their relationship.

Translated by: Fadwa Al-Qasem