The Uproar

A Novel

De: Karim Dimechkie

Narrado por: Justin Price

A “raw, tensely plotted, profound high-wire act of a book” (Téa Obreht) on the intricacies of marriage, class, and race, and just how far one man will go to protect his family—and himself.

Sharif is a good person. He knows that he is good because he’s aware of the privilege that he holds as a white man. He knows he is good because he chose to be a social worker at a nonprofit in Brooklyn, scraping by in New York City. And he knows he is good because his wife, Adjoua, a progressive Black novelist, has always said so.

But Sharif’s goodness doesn’t protect him and Adjoua against bad luck. In an emergency, when they must find a new home for their beloved, unruly, giant dog before the imminent birth of their immunocompromised daughter, a desperate Sharif leaves Judy in the care of Emmanuel, an undocumented Haitian immigrant Sharif met through his social services nonprofit.

When Emmanuel agrees to take the dog, it is only a momentary relief. What begins as a dispute between the young couple and Emmanuel's teenage son soon draws both families into a maelstrom of unpredictable conflict. As tempers flare into a public uproar, escalating to social media and taken up by law enforcement, the cracks in Sharif and Adjoua’s marriage are exposed and they’re forced to question everything they thought about race, empathy, and if Sharif was ever good in the first place. Immersive and propulsive, The Uproar is the book we need to understand the moment we live in now.©2025 Karim Dimechkie (P)2025 Little, Brown & Company

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Tense, immersive, and provocative. The Uproar is at once a psychological drama and a bracing look at class, race, power, and marriage. Once you start reading, you won't want to stop for breath until the end."—Flynn Berry, author of Northern Spy

"The Uproar is at times hilarious, wise, insightful, and brave. It is at all times a pleasure."—Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Everything Is Illuminated

"The Uproar is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the moment we live in now. Dimechkie drew me in with the twist-and-turns of this brilliantly plotted novel and kept me reading with his funny, complicated, and precisely drawn characters. By the end of the novel, I wasn't just moved by what happens to these characters—I was thinking more critically and deeply about my own morals and the type of person I want to be in the world. This book will stay with me."—Philipp Meyer, author of The Son

Powerful commentary

Great novel with lots of twists and turns. Important commentary on how liberals go only so far in addressing serious issues.

This is not a happy book

But well written. It shows how quickly and unexpectedly one’s life can crumble. I felt uncomfortable in certain parts.

Dysfunction in Action

The Uproar follows two characters—Sharif and Adjoua—who seem stuck in a cycle of poor decisions and emotional disconnection. Though both are educated and employed, and were raised by parents who are still together.

Sharif’s insecurity and low income frustrate Adjoua, and while she occasionally shows empathy, it’s fleeting.

Meanwhile, Sharif, a social worker, never really gets that relying on friends and family is essential to a good life —especially alarming their first baby on the way will need extensive medical care.

Adjoua’s attachment to her dog, Judy, who has multiple medical issues, is oddly intense—she is more bonded to the dog than to her husband.

There’s no clear backstory explaining Sharif’s acceptance of Judy or even how this couple came together, or why Ahjoua became pregnant, which leaves their dynamic feeling thin.

Ultimately, the novel feels like a study in how two people who can’t take care of themselves—or each other, still can become parents without gaining any insight into what that really means.

After a story that focuses on a few months in the couple’s life, we speed through Sharif’s next 30 years. His life was a misery. Maybe he gets it in the end??

For me, this was not an enjoyable or insightful read.