Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #68240 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
Exquisite, so full of essential truths: the more you read the more you feel the childhood described in it is yours (Maps for Lost Lovers )

Daily Telegraph
`Exquisite, poignant, hopeful . . . deserved its place on the 2006
Man Booker shortlist'

Sarah Broadhurst
'Compelling, disturbing, moving, but also very haunting, the sort of book that won't leave you . . .Impressive and powerful’

Customer Reviews

Brilliant, Gripping, Moving
This is a fantastic book, beautifully written. Hisham Matar describes, through the eyes of 9yr old Suleiman, the appalling death of a neighbour, and the disappearance of his father an alleged 'traitor', who, after his mother begs the government official across the road, is eventually returned home, a hideous bleeding mess. Set in 1979 this is a time that saw some of the most tempestuous years when The Leader was at his pinnacle, and the Libyan people truly suffered. Although Matar insists this is not a true story, having lived there and heard many awful stories, this one strikes an authentic chord, making one think it could quite easily be based on truth. Suleiman's parents manage to get him out of the country to Cairo, but his heart is still firmly in Tripoli with its beautiful glittering sea, mulberry trees and childhood memories of playmates, also his mother either happily drawing in the garden, or unhappily drinking illegal gin in secret - her 'medicine' - something the secret police discover during one terrifying visit. The story describes in enthralling detail the young boy sitting with his mother and watching the public execution on TV of their friend from next door, the man's final humiliating moments broadcast live is both horrifying and riveting in equal measure. Also, how young Suleiman betrays his father to the secret police by telling them exactly where he is, is a powerful portrait of life in Libya at a time when people did disappear. I highly recommend this book, its impossible to put down.

Through the eyes of a child
This is very powerful, poignant story - told through the eyes of a young boy - who struggles to understand the world he is living in. Through the eyes of Suleiman we see and feel a frightening, confusing picture unfold. Telling the story of Tripoli, and Suleiman's parents in this way, the reader is drawn right into the heart of this family and the times they live in. An enthralling read that has a lot to say about freedom, and what it feels like when those basic freedoms we all take for granted don't exist - and there is a terrifying echo on the phone.

Powerful story

This very powerful and touching novel is not only revealing but also opens our minds to more questions, the most powerful of which is the problem of freedom in a land haunted by limited civil liberties and the strong man, a diseases that is still plaguing Africa today. From books like Triple Agent Double Cross, Nervous Conditions, Wizard of the Crows, Union Moujik, we get a vivid picture of living in unfree societies.