The Moor's Account is a fictionalized memoir of a Spanish expedition to the "New World" as told by Esteban/Mustafa, a slave. It's a history of these types of journeys unlike any I've heard before. There is much detail here, both of the landscape and the myriad Native tribes with which the Spaniards have to contend. Esteban is a character that is easy to root for along his erstwhile quest for freedom that is the one shining light after tragedy after tragedy befalls the group. Lalami's writing is precise and fluid.

My main difficulty with this book came from the fact that while the detail is quite extensive and interesting, I felt the characters often got lost within the sheer volume of it. Even though told from the first perspective, it often read to me like a historical account, verging on textbook-like. I often felt distanced from the characters and not really attached to the outcome. I almost gave up a few times, especially during the dense mid-section where Esteban accounted every misstep and tragedy that befell the characters, to which, at that point, there was little narrative effect. My favorite sections were actually those chapters where Esteban lovingly recalled his family left behind after he became a slave and his intense desire to get back to them. These were the parts that felt most human and profound to me.