I just finished reading (literally, a few moments ago) In the Country of Men, by Hisham Matar. It was on my daughter's summer reading list and one of the many hardback books we bought for $2 or less. My particular copy came from half.com via the Queens Library, Jamaica, NY.
I've had quite a bit of catching up to do in the "reading great literature" department these last few years. It has been a fun and enlightening adventure so far. In the Country of Men is one of those books that provokes a sense of escape while causing the reader to empathize, shudder, weep.
I was 7 in 1979; the main character, Suleiman, is 9. I knew nothing as a seven year old of Muammar Qaddafi or Libya's violent revolution. Suleiman knows all too well the price he and his loved ones must pay for his father's contempt for al-Fateh--The Guide--and the father's role as a counter-revolutionary. Suleiman's relationship with his father is tangibly strained; his relationship with his mother is painful, dysfunctional. Some of the emotions Suleiman expresses regarding his mother and her illness truly broke my heart. Anyone who, as a child, dealt with the yearning to "fix" a broken, addicted parent will quickly understand why.
So, in a nutshell, I recommend this book. I'm not so sure I would have handed it to my fourteen year old without some trepidation, because the descriptions of Qaddafi's thugs' interrogations and even assassinations of "traitors," being broadcast live on television, are difficult for even the toughest of readers. Graphic details aside, this book is a treasure of a story that deals with loyalty, betrayal, and a battle between innocence lost, innocence mourned, and eventually hope renewed.
I've had quite a bit of catching up to do in the "reading great literature" department these last few years. It has been a fun and enlightening adventure so far. In the Country of Men is one of those books that provokes a sense of escape while causing the reader to empathize, shudder, weep.
I was 7 in 1979; the main character, Suleiman, is 9. I knew nothing as a seven year old of Muammar Qaddafi or Libya's violent revolution. Suleiman knows all too well the price he and his loved ones must pay for his father's contempt for al-Fateh--The Guide--and the father's role as a counter-revolutionary. Suleiman's relationship with his father is tangibly strained; his relationship with his mother is painful, dysfunctional. Some of the emotions Suleiman expresses regarding his mother and her illness truly broke my heart. Anyone who, as a child, dealt with the yearning to "fix" a broken, addicted parent will quickly understand why.
So, in a nutshell, I recommend this book. I'm not so sure I would have handed it to my fourteen year old without some trepidation, because the descriptions of Qaddafi's thugs' interrogations and even assassinations of "traitors," being broadcast live on television, are difficult for even the toughest of readers. Graphic details aside, this book is a treasure of a story that deals with loyalty, betrayal, and a battle between innocence lost, innocence mourned, and eventually hope renewed.
It will also make you want to visit Libya. Really.
3 comments:
Salam!! Sounds like a wonderful book! Did you get it shipped to Jordan? If so, how did you get it through customs?
I hope you and your family are well!!
oh, thank you for the reminder! i read this in paperback some time ago and passed it on to another friend. but i remember i loved it. it was very moving on many levels. i highly recommend it too!
Salaam!
Thanks for the recommendation. I've been trying to get my hands on some good novels as well. Insha'Allah I'll try to get a hold of this book
Jazakallah Khair!
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