Combining photographs, diary entries, and taped conversations, and with an introduction by Paul Bowles, this is the true story of a young Moroccan girl who commits suicide because her virginity is questioned. The startling and often disturbing photographs evoke a world and culture alien to the Western mind and experience. The evocative text is never straightforward; conversations are quoted with little accompanying information, forcing the reader to create the story by putting together the fragmented interviews and conversations. The stark beauty of geometric Islamic designs contrasts sharply with the surrounding urban squalor and bloody animal sacrifices: the photographs are truly brilliant, creating a language of their own. All the mystery of Moroccan Fez is here to see: the swirling colors and patterns of the photos contrast sharply with the rigidity of the moral code under which Hakima lived and died. The format may be a bit too strange for the general reader to appreciate, but a large public library would find The Hakima an attention-getting addition.