Hisham Matar: IN THE COUNTRY OF MEN

This is a work of fiction. But I believe it's based on actual events under the draconian rule of Gaddafi in Libya in the late 1960s. In the novel, the main protagonist, now an adult, narrates his experiences, or what he saw, as a 9-year-old boy under Gaddafi's rule - the abduction of a neighbor, the execution of a 'traitor,' the disappearance and return of his father, and the goings-on in his and friends' families everyday existence.

Reading the book, I had his strange feeling (maybe it's just me) that the author (Hisham Matar) intentionally wrote the book in a way to open my eyes (wide enough) to get scared on what I would see. It was like the author (or the narrator) put me in the place where those things happened. But it was not only for the horror of being there but also for experiencing the humanity and striving for survival of the people under the rule.

This book was shortlisted for the 2006 Man Booker Prize.

Rating: 4.0/5.0