In the Country of Men

Hisham Matar

A devastatingly emotional novel which unveils a world that is rarely seen in fiction

It is a white hot day in Tripoli, Libya, in the summer of 1979, and nine-year-old Suleiman sees his father standing across the street. Why does he pretend he hasn't seen him? And why doesn't he come over when he knows Suleiman's mother is falling apart?

From a breathtaking new talent comes an utterly gripping novel told from the point of view of a young boy growing up in a bewildering world where his best friend's father disappears, and a man sits outside their house all day, asking strange questions. Soon the whispers become so intense that Suleiman, in an effort to save his family, may end up betraying his friends, his parents and ultimately himself.

'A poignant story of a child exposed too early to the brutalities of Libyan politics' J. M. Coetzee

Hisham Matar was born in New York in 1970 and spent his childhood in Tripoli and Cairo. He has lived in London since 1986. He is currently at work on his second novel set between Cairo and London.