2012 Puddly Awards
 
 
Follow us on TwitterFollow us on FacebookFollow us on TumblrSubscribe to RSS


Recently Viewed clear list


Guests | February 8, 2012

Nathan Englander: IMG Big Think



Tonight is the first event for the new book, and I've spent most of the afternoon at home with curlers in my hair and cucumber circles on the eyes... Continue »
  1. $17.47 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

spacer
Free Shipping!

Ships free on qualified orders.
$15.00
New Trade Paper
Ships in 1 to 3 days
Add to Wishlist
Available for In-store Pickup
in 7 to 12 days
Qty Store Section
9 Remote Warehouse Literature- A to Z
25 Remote Warehouse Literature- A to Z

More copies of this ISBN

In the Country of Men

by Hisham Matar

In the Country of Men Cover

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Libya, 1979. Nine-year-old Suleimans days are circumscribed by the narrow rituals of childhood: outings to the ruins surrounding Tripoli, games with friends played under the burning sun, exotic gifts from his fathers constant business trips abroad. But his nights have come to revolve around his mothers increasingly disturbing bedside stories full of old family bitterness. And then one day Suleiman sees his father across the square of a busy marketplace, his face wrapped in a pair of dark sunglasses. Wasnt he supposed to be away on business yet again? Why is he going into that strange building with the green shutters? Why did he lie?

Suleiman is soon caught up in a world he cannot hope to understand—where the sound of the telephone ringing becomes a portent of grave danger; where his mother frantically burns his fathers cherished books; where a stranger full of sinister questions sits outside in a parked car all day; where his best friends father can disappear overnight, next to be seen publicly interrogated on state television.

In the Country of Men is a stunning depiction of a child confronted with the private fallout of a public nightmare. But above all, it is a debut of rare insight and literary grace.

From the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Hisham Matar was born in 1970 in New York City to Libyan parents and spent his childhood in Tripoli and Cairo. He lives in London and is currently at work on his second novel.

From the Hardcover edition.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 1 comment:

Shoshana, June 18, 2009 (view all comments by Shoshana)
One of the better novels I've read recently. Matar gives us a narrative from a boy's point of view. Suleiman's story of his family life Libya under Qaddafi is not a war narrative, but partakes of many of that genre's elements, much like Ondjaki's "Good Morning Comrades." Matar's parallels, while not subtle, are also not too crudely rendered. Though this is a political story, its fire derives from the conflicting constellations of loyalty and repugnance within his family. A terrific oedipal tale that also reveals life in totalitarian Libya.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)

Product Details

ISBN:
9780385340434
Author:
Matar, Hisham
Publisher:
Dial Press
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Historical - General
Subject:
Bildungsromans
Subject:
Libya
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Edition Description:
Trade paper
Publication Date:
20080231
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
256
Dimensions:
8.22x5.53x.58 in. .49 lbs.

Other books you might like

  1. $15.00 New Trade Paper add to wish list
  2. $12.99 Google eBooks add to wish list
  3. $22.20 Google eBooks add to wish list

    The White King

    György Dragomán 9780547523521
  4. $8.65 Google eBooks add to wish list

    Poppy Shakespeare

    Clare Allan 9781596917118
  5. $14.00 New Trade Paper add to wish list

    The Virgin of Flames

    Chris Abani 9780143038771
  6. $2.95 Used Hardcover add to wish list

Related Aisles

In the Country of Men New Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$15.00 In Stock
Product details 256 pages Dial Press - English 9780385340434 Reviews:
spacer
spacer
  • back to top
Follow us on...


Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.