The fanatics

Claire became Aicha. Upon marrying, she chose to convert to Islam. Her father, Julien Nori, a professor at the Sorbonne, feels his daughter's decision is a personal failure. An intellectual inspired by the Age of Enlightenment, he fears the return of the Inquisitions and fanaticism. He fears the clash of civilizations. His daughter's choice disturbs him, questioning his convictions and everything he believed he had transmitted. He wants to understand, to renew the dialogue with Claire. He finds only Aicha. One day in October, he is murdered in Paris, just meters from the Sorbonne. Was it revenge by some fanatic or just a sordid police case disguised as an Islamic crime? Max Gallo investigates. He leaves no question unanswered. The novel—moving and lucid—uncovers, behind appearances, the temptations of fanaticism. And Claire and Nori's reasons for living and dying. To each their own truth.