Hisham Matar

A short, heartfelt, and beautifully executed book. Hisham Matar is the son of a former Libyan diplomat who became a major figure in the anti-Qaddafi resistance movement. Betrayed by Hosni Mubarak's government and imprisoned for years in Libya's most notorious prison, he hadn't been heard from for years when the Arab Spring toppled Qaddafi's government. It's evident that the author loved and respected his father: the memories of him he recounts here fairly teem with emotion. But this is show more mostly a book about absence and uncertainty. It's clear from fairly early on that, when Qaddafi's government fell, the chances of finding Jaballa Matar alive were extraordinarily slim. Still, the author clings to the hope that he might be reunited with his father someday. Even so, the author -- whose capacity for analyzing his own emotions and motives is truly extraordinary -- senses that hope can become its own kind of punishment, and that holding on to his father's memory limits his own life in many ways. Hisham Matar was, after all, about ten when his father disappeared -- he is aware that he has lived with his father's absence longer than he actually lived with his dad. It is a real credit to Matar as a writer that he can so fully articulate the way that his father's absence has shaped his experience of the world. Loss is, I suppose, a universal human experience, but I can honestly say that this is one of the best books I've ever read about it.

There are a few other reasons to read "The Return". The author's interactions with Saif Qaddafi -- the dictator's "reformist" son -- and his lackeys provide a fine portrayal of a sort of evil that comes off simultaneously bland and unnervingly unapologetic. This book also provides a wonderful portrait of the geography, culture, and social dynamics of the Arab world. His descriptions of Libya are nothing short of painterly, and his love for the country's landscape and architecture comes through very clearly. His description of the Libya's Mediterranean seacoast and its ocean made me wonder how much a ticket to Tripoli might cost me at this time of year. My experience of the Arab world is relatively limited, but Matar's descriptions of the way that people in Libya -- and especially those in his enormous family -- communicate, argue, and show affection for each other is both wonderfully detailed and extremely accessible to the Western reader. Matar describes, for example, the gatherings of his enormous family or meetings with his neighbors in a way that makes you feel like you are not just present but also understand what every social cue and expression really means, and this makes for an extraordinarily intimate reading experience. Likewise, Matar's descriptions of his interactions with his neighbors gives you an idea of how small and isolated a place Libya can really be. It seems that it's the kind of country where everyone knows everyone.

And this gets at the heart of something else that makes "The Return" a really special book. It's clear that even though it was written in English, that this is a fundamentally Libyan story told by a Libyan. Matar's family is from Benghazi, a city that is synonymous, in the West, for the attack on an American consulate that killed four Americans and caused a major political scandal in the United States. We don't hear a word about that in "The Return", though, because actual Libyans had other things to worry about and deal with at the time. This is pretty refreshing, and an important reminder that the rest of the world keeps existing even after headlines in the United States have shifted their attention elsewhere. "The Return" is a short book, but the emotions it contains are so vivid -- and so well-articulated -- that it took me a while to read. It's hardly an easy read, but I recommend this one highly. show less

This is a beautifully written memoir about Matar's experiences in trying to find out what happened to his father, Jaballa Matar, a Libyan diplomat, who became a political dissident under Qaddafi. He was kidnapped, held in a secret prison, and disappeared. This book details Matar's attempts to find his father, and also the way that the event affected Matar and his family. It is a heartbreaking story of exile, hope, anger and disappointment, all the more touching because Matar makes it clear show more that this is just one story of many.

Matar makes it clear just how hard the uncertainty is. "I envy the finality of funerals. I covet the certainty. How it must be to wrap one's hands around the bones, to choose how to place them, to be able to pat the patch of earth and sing a prayer." show less

Main character Khaled, originally from Benghazi, attends university in Edinburgh, where he meets Mustafa. Later, in London in 1984, he and Mustafa get involved in a demonstration against the Qaddafi regime outside the Libyan Embassy, which changes their lives forever. Hosam is a writer of a short story that Khaled had heard over the radio. They later meet and become friends. The narrative explores his friendship with fellow Libyans, Mustafa and Hosam, over the course of three decades. It show more also includes family, relationships, and the close bonds of the three friends with their home in Libya. At this time, the Qaddafi regime was tracking down and dealing harshly with any resistance.

This book combines beautiful writing, narrative arc, character, emotion, and socially relevant themes. The storyline covers the personal lives of the three friends and the events leading up to and including Arab Spring. The emotional heart of the story is the need for Khaled, as a teen, to forge an independent life apart from his family, while keeping the secret of the reason he cannot come home. I found it mesmerizing and read it straight through in one sitting. It is a wonderful blend of friendship, family, love, identity, exile, literature, and the downfall of a dictator. It will make my short list of best books of the year. I am adding it to my shelf of all-time favorites. show less

This is a beautiful meditation on life and loss, and a painful recounting of the tragic recent events that have torn Libya apart. The style is very personal and often moving, with a focus on discovering what happened to his father following his abduction by Gaddafi's regime. So why am I not giving it more stars? It just feels he puts his father on too much of a pedastal, and is seemingly blind to his mother and women in general. It seems harsh, but somehow the author also does not seem to show more recognise his relative privilege. At times I thought I would remember this book for a long time, but it actually disappeared from memory surprisingly quickly. show less